Love Connection
by MochiUs
Summary: Kagami doesn't want to meet his soul mate. Aomine is desperate to meet his.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own the characters. Unbetaed. Kagami and Aomine will eventually meet, but not yet at the moment. Each bit is not in chronological order until they meet. I will warn you. I am slow at updating.**

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><p>Kagami Taiga hates it. He hates this intangible crimson string tied to his left pinky; he almost hates it as much as he hates dogs. He despises its presence ever since the day his mother left his father years ago because it was proof, proof that even though you may have found your soul mate, your soul mate is not your mate for life. Kagami still remembers the day his father changed because that heartbroken man picked up the remaining shards of his heart and replaced it with a heart of stone.<p>

One lasting memory would be time he tugged on the hem of his father's unkempt dress shirt.

When he called for his father, his old man grunted, "What?"

Grabbing his father's attention was rare, so he went straight to the point.

"I met a boy named Tatsuya and-"

His father pounded the table and interrupted his son. "Goddammit Taiga! Can't you see I'm busy?!"

Kagami knew he lost his father's warm smile forever.

So what if he is projecting his anger onto the string rather than his absent mother? Even if his mother wasn't involved, it doesn't change the fact that every time his father's relatives come and visit, they would pester him like flies, annoying him with the same rudimentary questions as if they were programmed by society to utter these stupid questions in chronological order.

"Have you met your soul mate yet?" one cousin would ask while elbowing him.

"When are you planning to look for them?" his aunt would question.

When he told them about his disinterest, they immediately assumed the worst.

"Waiting for your true love? Are you still held up about that crazy nonsense? Your soul mate is your true love!"

Kagami refuses to listen to their noise, refuses to conform to their expectations. If your soul mate is your true love, then why did his mother leave his father? Unable to bear it any longer, he blocks out the noise by playing basketball from dawn to dusk until the noise becomes a faint buzz, until the words_ soul mate_ is no longer in his train of thought.

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><p>Aomine Daiki is desperate and desperately wants to find his soul mate, but his parents tell him to wait patiently for the perfect opportunity, which is bull in his opinion.<p>

"But they don't understand!" he grumbles to his childhood friend. "They got their fairytale ending. Why can't I have mines?" He puffs out his cheeks and sulks at the memory of his lovey-dovey parents ruffling his short midnight blue hair, smiling their condescending smiles.

Satsuki, who was working on her homework at the time, pauses and says, "Don't worry. You'll meet her, Dai-chan."

Not satisfied with her answer, he pouts and shouts, "How can you be sure?! I might never meet her until we're old like raisins!"

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><p>Tatsuya is Kagami's best friend.<p>

Even though he seems gloomy, he was his savior because he introduced the world of basketball to him.

Tatsuya is too modest to accept his rare but kind and precious words, but Kagami will still revere him as the older brother he couldn't have.

Another addition to his makeshift family would be Alex, who he views as both his mentor and mother, and though the woman is not his blood mother, she is more than half of what his biological mother could ever be.

Ever since his real mother disappeared without a trace, mentioning her became taboo. However, he doesn't care anymore because he has Alex now, and Tatsuya mutually agrees with him. Besides, she scolds them whenever they are out of line and spoils them with gifts whenever their birthday is around the corner.

She is the best mother a kid could ever have.

One day Kagami was curious about her string. He sees a ring, but her husband is nowhere in sight.

He asks, "Alex, did you meet your soul mate?"

Alex, who is usually an energetic ball of sunshine, visibly stiffens. She then lightly touches her ring with such care that it looks like she was touching a newborn for the first time.

"I do," she replies solemnly, "but he's no longer here in this world."

Kagami quickly shuts his mouth and widens his eyes. The guilt starts to creep in, but Alex simply chuckles at the young boy's shame.

She embraces her favorite boys with a crushing hug and says, "Do not worry. I'm already happy. After all, who needs a soul mate when I have two angels by my side?"

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><p>It's official. Aomine can't take it anymore.<p>

The basketball he loves is slowly getting more boring with each try. The effort he inputs seems useless. Kuroko's advice is useless. This is all useless.

Why is it all useless?

"The only one who can beat me is me," he repeats to himself.

This pent-up frustration consumes his very being, and the leftover steam from the last match is not waning. He stares at his hand, and his eyes trail his red string, which extends all the way past the corner five blocks from where he is standing. Many have warned him not to, but he runs after it with hope burning in his chest because at this point, nobody could stop him. Not even Akashi.

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><p>Aomine stopped pursuing his soul mate. He stopped ever since his string led him all the way to the ocean. His parents took him to the beach three weeks ago to pick him out of his slump, but it worsened it instead. He screamed at the body of water like a madman, cursing it with every bit of profanity he knew.<p>

He laughs at fate. He scorns destiny.

Imayoshi told him to stop waiting anyway, so he did.

His first act of telling fate to fuck off was to hook up with some random chick. His first kiss, which he planned on saving for his soul mate, is given to a girl he met at the rooftop with orange streaks in her hair. She smells strongly of vanilla.

His raging hormones are telling him to cup her breasts, but he stops himself before he goes any further because the hand slithering its way up to her chest is the one with the red string attached.

"Sorry," he breathes out, fumbling over what to say. "Next time we'll-"

The girl just shushes him with one manicured finger and mischievously smiles. "I'll be waiting," she teases and slinks out of Aomine's space. She walks over to the door while seductively swaying her hips.

Aomine's heartbeat is racing.

Finally, he thinks, someone to look forward to. He no longer has to wait for anybody. Not anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I do not own the characters. Unbetaed. For once, I have free time (not really), so I should probably write this before I'm bedridden with deadlines. Thank you for reading and following this story everybody. **

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><p>Today there is a family gathering at the beach. Since Satsuki is a close family friend, Aomine's parents invited her to come along. At this point, Aomine is barely a budding teenager, and for Satsuki, she is relishing this wonderful period of his growth because it's an opportunity for her to make fun of his puberty voice.<p>

Aomine, flustered, shouted, "Stop laughing!" Unfortunately his voice betrayed him at the end of his words, and instead of the fierce growl of a thirteen-year-old, his voice went a pitch higher, resembling the sound of a dying whale.

Satsuki couldn't take it in anymore. She exploded into a fit of giggles, mocking and pointing at her ridiculous friend.

"Y-your," she wiped away a tear from her eye, "v-voice cracked." One look at Aomine's blushing face made her laugh harder.

"Y-you-!" Aomine, quickly getting over his short-lived humiliation, gave chase.

Trying to satisfy his manliness, she did a fake shriek and ran away, grinning widely as he tried to reach for the pink strands of her hair. He would have caught them, too, if it wasn't for the fact that he overheard his aunt cooing over them.

"Satsuki is such a charming girl."

Aomine's mother simply nodded her head, agreeing with her sister. "She has been a great companion for my son."

"It's such a shame she's not connected to Daiki. They would have been lovely together."

Aomine stopped running altogether and stared at the adults. They were eating and chatting away as usual. His father is retelling a funny joke to his older brothers, and some of his older cousins are grouped together like a pack. It shouldn't bother him, but hearing his aunt's words did bother him. He stared back at Satsuki, who was tilting her head with a curious expression. He pursed his lips. His soul mate is not Satsuki, but surely his soul mate would be someone who would make his aunt and mother proud.

Therefore, he strode through the sand and faced the girl who would one day be one of the greatest basketball managers in history.

He declared boldly and pompously, "One day I'm going to meet my soul mate, and I'm going to love her more than you!"

Satsuki was taken aback. Thankfully she has practice with his indirect, roundabout way of speaking.

She gave him a cheeky smile and smacked her friend at the back of his head. He yelped a cry. "Stupid," she scoffed, "we both know that's almost impossible."

Aomine's smile could light up the whole of Japan. "That means it's possible, though." His voice cracked just a tad bit, but Satsuki decides to show some mercy. He has enough embarrassment for the day.

"Then you better start looking, lover boy."

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><p>Even if he was tortured with shock therapy or bribed with a million burgers, Kagami Taiga will never confess to anyone that Tatsuya was his first love.<p>

"Take out your hand," Tatsuya ordered, "Here."

He dropped a silver ring into Kagami's hands. The boy with the weirdly shaped eyebrows queried, "What's this?"

"This is to symbolize our relationship as brothers," Tatsuya explained. "You can wear it as a necklace if it's too troublesome to play while wearing it."

Kagami fondled with the piece of jewelry affectionately. His heart fluttered, as if a small white butterfly was dancing within his chest.

"… Thank you Tatsuya." There was a lump in his throat, and if this was called happiness, he hopes that he will always remain by Tatsuya's side.

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><p>"Don't touch my hand," Aomine griped.<p>

"I want to see if we're soul mates."

"We're not," he says. He knows they're not because his soul mate must require one or two of the requirements: His soul mate is good at basketball or has fantastic boobs.

The redhead he is currently dating does not fulfill neither, which prompts Aomine to think that she is a pain in the ass. The only reason he is holding her hand and treating her to dinner is because of Satsuki.

"I promise you'll like her Dai-chan."

"Let me guess," he flipped a page, "She has a great personality and totally understands my love for basketball."

"…"

"Nailed it."

The porn magazine he was reading was snatched right out of his hands. "Oi!" he exclaimed.

The data analyst rolled it up and threatened to smack it right into the crown of his head. Aomine shivered as he recalled her death glare.

"… Are you cold?"

Snapped out of his daydream, he dazedly looks down at his date. She is cute but definitely not his type.

"I'm not," he mutters back.

Suddenly, she asks, "You really don't want this, do you?"

_Shit_, Aomine panics, _where's Satsuki when you need her?_

"Then let's end this date, okay?"

"Huh?"

"I figured you would be the type to only focus on your soul mate." There was a pained, bitter smile on her face, but the girl continued on, "I really appreciated that you took the time to dress up and miss practice for me, though."

_Practice doesn't matter to me anymore. Don't make the wrong assumptions._

She clasps his hands. "I'll forgive this terrible date, but in return, never lose sight of that special person, okay? If I had the right mind, I would have socked you by now."

Aomine was too surprised by the girl's maturity and could only stare at her retreating form with an open mouth.

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><p>Kagami was shooting some hoops until he heard someone clapping with fervor.<p>

"That was amazing! Do it again!" A schoolgirl about the same age as him was excitedly jumping up and down while gripping the metal fence.

Kagami cocked one eyebrow. "Thanks?"

"Your form is so beautiful," she complimented. "You look like you have wings on your back whenever you jump." Kagami swore there were twinkling stars in her eyes, even if he was far away from her.

_A fanatic? _he wondered.

The random stranger kept on talking. "You would have been a good opponent for Aomine," she sighs wistfully. "The only good thing he has besides his looks is his basketball."

Kagami walk towards the pole and looked at the time on his phone. His eyes were wide like dinner plates. In a split second, he packed up and dashed out of the basketball court, bidding the mysterious girl a farewell. "Sorry, but I have somewhere to go!" The grocery store could close any minute now, and he needs some ingredients to cook tonight's food.

The girl simply sighed. "Basketball jocks are a handful."

"Hiroko-chan!"

Said girl looks at a panting Momoi moving towards her. "I heard," she recollected herself, "I heard you dissed Dai-chan."

Hiroko sheepishly scratched her cheek. "Did it dent his pride?"

Momoi laugh sounded like chime bells. "No, but he seems baffled by you."

"Good," Hiroko replies. She does a high-five with Momoi.

As they were walking home since they lived in the same direction, Hiroko mentioned about the awesome jumper she met moments ago.

She tried to reenact Kagami's leap towards the hoop. "Then he went pwah! And- oh my god- he must have been an airbender or something."

"He sounds quite interesting."

"Yeah! If only he could play against Aomine…" Hiroko clamped her mouth. She forgot about how sensitive this is to Momoi. Momoi, weary and burdened with a fractured team, gave Hiroko, who would move to another city in about two months, a friendly hug and looks forward to tomorrow.

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><p>Kagami stares at the red string. When he dreams about it, they turn into gruesome, psychological nightmares. In one, he was cocooned, trapped within its walls. In another, he would be a puppet, following destiny as if it was a part of the game.<p>

Sometimes he wishes he was born without a string, but on the other hand, being the receiving end of pity irks him to no end because in society, having no string makes you seem unlovable.

"Like an abomination," he tells himself. He hears the Mario theme song playing in another room, which means that someone is calling him. He stands up, stretches, and searches for his phone. He turns on the phone before it stops playing the tune to indicate it was a missed call and presses the phone against his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Yes, I would like to order Pepperoni- what? Kuroko, you DON'T want Pepperoni?"

"Uh…"

"Hold on one second."

"But-"

"Hello? Are you still there?"

"Yes, but-"

"Good! Sorry for the inconvenience, but I would like to change my order to a Combination-"

Kagami could slightly hear the background. Based on what he heard, this "Kuroko" guy and "Aomine" caller, he just learned, are arguing over their pizza preferences. He should stop this ridiculousness. Before he could reveal his identity; however, this "Aomine" guy hung up on him.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: You guys should stop me from ignoring my homework lol. I do not own the characters. Unbetaed. Before you ask if this was necessary, yes, I do want to see this character cry. Thank you for your support!**

**I would like to thank Ice. razon. Yay, it finally happens! And EminaRukiax. I'll try to bring GoM in the future, but I literally just write whatever inspires me. And Absalon95. Obviously they should indirectly meet through pizza before the actual thing. **

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><p>Kagami was like a small fish in a huge pond, or more accurately, he was a fish out of water. Moving to Japan was a huge step for the young teen, especially since his father, though not a reliable constant in life, would not stay with him. They rented a standard apartment for the two of them. It was quaint and did not have any flashy add-ons.<p>

Kagami spouted out in disbelief. "What? I thought we were going together."

His father, in the midst of packing, received an ominous phone call from his job.

"It seems that I have some unfinished business to attend to." He said the grim news to his son after hanging up.

This is why, Kagami, finished with unpacking his belongings and necessities, surveyed the rooms to make sure nothing was missing since he is going to live by himself. Indeed there are some perks to living independently without adult supervision, but the harsh, cold truth is still prevalent.

"… It looks big… and lonely." Kagami acknowledged.

He collapsed on the floor due to the exhaustion and stared at the ceiling above him. He raises his hand to see the crimson string dangling in front of him.

"I guess it's just you and me now." Since the string is an inanimate object, it does not respond.

"I hated you for the longest time, you know." If he tries hard enough, Kagami can hear the clock ticking each second.

"People would just randomly congratulate me and wish me good luck on the streets. It was creepy." Kagami combed his hair back, feeling like a fool.

"I can't believe I'm talking to a string." If the string could talk, it would probably ridicule him.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He might as well continue since nobody's home.

His voice wavered, "Ever since mom left… ever since dad changed… I always wondered if meeting your soul mate is worth it."

Maybe he was at his limit. Maybe he was stressed about the moving arrangements. Maybe after bottling up his rage after so many years led him to this- talking to a mere string.

"I always blamed you even though you're just a silly, stupid string," he admits. He feels a prickle at the corner of his eyes, but he disregarded it. "Is it so bad that I don't want to meet my soul mate?" He remembers the condescending eyes, remembers the obnoxious disapprovals behind his back.

His volume slowly increases. "Is it so bad that I just want to meet somebody and fall in love with them?" His heart is heavy. Tears slide down his cheeks.

"Why can't I have dates and all of that romantic crap?" he helplessly screams. "Why do you exist? Why can't I live without you DICTATING MY LIFE?"

He covers his face in shame, sniffling like a complete mess.

"God," he hiccups, "I'm so lame." _I dissected enough of my feelings_, he decides.

He washes up afterwards and stares at the reflection of his bloodshot eyes. He lost his appetite for dinner, so he jumps on his plushy bed, wrapping himself with the blankets like a burrito.

"I won't be back to America for a while," he tells himself, "but on the bright side, I won't meet my soul mate for a while at least."

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><p>When Aomine is not skipping practice, reading about Mai-chan's latest photo shoots, or sleeping on the rooftop, he would often fantasize about his fateful encounter with his soul mate.<p>

It would be love at first sight. He can imagine it. He would be walking down a road filled with cherry blossom trees, and the petals would surround him, slightly clouding his view from what's ahead. Then at the end of the road, she would be there at the center, slowly turning her head around. They would make eye contact for the first time, and Aomine can vividly envision it in his head. They are not more than a foot apart. She would raise her head, enthralled to meet her destined one, and he would look down and smile tenderly, ready to make this person feel as if she is the most special person in the world.

Other scenarios play in his head. He would be at the supermarket shopping for groceries. He reaches for a cereal box at the top shelf, and his hand, the one with the red string on his pinky, touches another hand, which also has a red string on a pinky. He would back away and apologize, only to realize that his string connects with the other person's hand.

She would probably say, "So… do you want one or not?" He would probably react slowly, too enamored by her beauty to understand the question. That would be a good story to tell his future kids.

Maybe their meeting would be unorthodox. Maybe he would join his friends to a stripper club and meet his soul mate there.

Maybe their meeting would be typical and boring. Maybe he would bump into his soul mate at a Starbucks line.

Despite the various what-ifs and what-nots, Aomine is convinced that he will love his soul mate with his whole heart unconditionally. Aomine is not entirely an ignorant, pig-headed idiot. There are bound to be some obstacles and flaws that will needle the ace of Touou, but despite how cheesy it sounds, Aomine truly believes that love conquers all.

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><p>Kuroko is pretty refreshing once Kagami overlooks the sudden appearances and sass balled up within the shadow of Seirin. Around their age, there would be an influx of couples hooking up together since these people would promise to date each other once they reach high school. Kuroko, fortunately and unfortunately, doesn't have a red string. With his lack of presence, not many people comment about it or forget about the lack of a red string attached to his pinky. Kagami is secretly grateful about that because their conversations are pretty mundane. If he strikes up a conversation with one of his classmates, they would start gossiping about girls and their soul mates. It doesn't take up a huge portion of the conversation, but Kagami would rather avoid these types.<p>

"Kagami-kun, are you excited for the next game?" After their latest match against Shuutoku, Kagami would normally respond with an enthusiasm of a preschooler seeing a rainbow for the first time, but in this case, he yelped and jumped back, not aware of his friend in front of him.

"Goddammit Kuroko!"

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><p>"Are you Kagami Taiga?"<p>

Kagami is pretty pissed off, and it's not because of the gobsmacked amount of haughtiness in the stranger's voice. The sting of his previous injury is healing, but it doesn't mean that he is impervious to pain. One might even say he is having a shitty day since he is banned from practicing with his other teammates until he is completely healed. He turns around to rudely flip the person off for interrupting his momentum until he sees the handsome, tanned man before him. He is speechless, not because of how attractive the young man is but because of his red string.

Kagami groans miserably, "No…" This cannot be happening.

He snatches his ball and flinches when he steps awkwardly. He faces away from the stranger and starts going the opposite direction. "Nope, I cannot handle this," he grumbles to himself. "I can't deal with this."

"Be my opponent," the stranger demands. "I'm challenging you!"

Kagami grits his teeth. Either the guy is stupid or too blind to realize that his soul mate is in front of him.

He was half right. His soul mate was too focused on finding entertainment, which is in the form of one Kagami Taiga, who his childhood friend mentioned a while back.

The stranger provokes him. "Hey you, are you deaf? I'm challenging you to a one-on-one."

Kagami shouts back, still not facing his soul mate in fear of revealing his hand. "Who the hell are you? I hate people who challenge out of the blue when they don't tell me their name."

He hears footsteps approaching; he tries to move away from them.

The stranger, in a disinterested voice, replies, "Who cares what you think, but I guess I can give you my name."

Kagami feels a hand tug on his shoulder to turn him around, and in that moment, he felt the apocalypse has come.

"I'm Aomine Daiki," he says, all-powerful and without tact.

Crimson orbs meet navy pools, and when Aomine lowers his eyes due to some strange magnetic pull, the world stops.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I do not own the characters. Unbetaed. I am so glad I'm writing this. I'm pretty stressed over an exam tomorrow. Thank you for the support you have given me. It gives me strength.**

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><p>Aomine's parents spoil him gratuitously. His extensive library of porn exhibits this. Out of all of the materialistic items he receives from his parents, his mother and father gave him the best gift of them all- love.<p>

Displays of affection were a common occurrence at the Aomine household. His parents would often be absorbed in their own little dreamland, easily forgetting their young son even when he is ten feet away from them. Their constant cute gestures and other public displays of their marriage would often embarrass outsiders because they were too intimate and shameless. Aomine doesn't mind. They are one half of the other. They complete each other. They are like those breakable heart necklaces; without the other puzzle piece, they are incomplete.

Sometimes his father would crack the lamest joke in the world, but to his mother, he is the world's greatest comedian of all time. Sometimes his mother would be a clumsy klutz, but to his father, she is the most graceful ballerina to ever fall into his arms.

At the end of a festival, fireworks were painting the dark sky with its brilliance and colors. His father bent down to his side and pointed at his mother reverently, as if she was the goddess of his dreams.

His father spoke in an awed whisper. "See that, Daiki? Over there is the most beautiful woman I have the honor to marry."

Even though the compliment was not directed towards him, Aomine's cheeks had a pink flush. His father donned the sweetest smile and blushed with his son. Aomine begrudgingly agreed with his dad. His mother, whose focus was on the glittery lights dotting the sky, looked rather ethereal and heavenly under the glow, as if she did descend from the heavens to meet his father.

"Dad."

"Yes, Daiki?"

"How did you know it was her?"

His father tilted his head in confusion. The question was too vague.

"I know you met her through the red string," Aomine indicated his father's pinky as he says this, "but how did you realize she was perfect for you?"

"I didn't."

"Huh?"

"Finding your soul mate is one thing," his father advices, "but loving your soul mate is another issue." His father begins to stretch out his legs to be by his wife's side. Lastly, he says, "But always remember to open your heart so that you can learn how to love."

They are wise words from a wise man, but Aomine may have to rethink about them because his father could not in a million years predict Kagami Taiga.

"Shit," Aomine blurts out, "You're my-"

His mouth was clamped by a pair of hands.

"Don't say it," Kagami growls. "Don't you dare say it."

Aomine swats the muscular hands away. "Do you have a problem with me?"

Kagami's mouth contorted into multiple, unidentifiable shapes until it straightened out. Aomine is mirroring the same look. His mixed emotions are rampant. Here is his soul mate living and breathing in front of him, right within his grasp, but Aomine can sense the other's aura like a bucket of cold water to his face. He is being rejected.

"How can you hate me when you haven't even met me?"

Kagami blurted out, "I don't hate you." It wasn't convincing.

"Bullshit," Aomine spat out. He took a step back to make space between them. "I don't know you that well but even I know that's not true."

He laughed to himself derisively. Of course he would end up with a soul mate who doesn't want to see him. His soul mate is most likely dating someone. That would explain his cautious behavior.

Aomine is angry. His is rage and fire and ice. He feels cheated and betrayed. It was already shocking enough that Tetsu found a replacement for him, but in the name of irony itself, he had to choose his soul mate.

Aomine's tired. He has been for a long time now. There are no strong players left in this world. He can only depend on the other Generation of Miracles. His soul mate is not the soul mate he desired in his reveries. This is the only soul mate the world has given him. If he had any more tears left in his tear ducts, he would have shed them by now, but that's the problem. He shed them a long time ago.

"Let's quit talking about _soul mate_ this and _soul mate_ that since you requested it" he finally says. He picks up the forgotten basketball and spins it around while balancing it on his index finger.

_Finding your soul mate is one thing…_

He drops the ball back to his hand after thinking. "Instead, let's play one-on-one, and since I feel like it, let's bet on something."

_But loving your soul mate is another issue_…

He explains, "The winner can make the loser do anything he wants." Before Kagami could protest, he continues, "However, it has to be simple. For example, you cannot tell me to lose the Inter High." His opponent looks appalled as if the notion was brainless.

_But always remember to open your heart…_

Aomine smirked. At least his soul mate is modest and moralistic unlike Hanamiya. "Another example," he adds, "is that I cannot force myself upon you. The command has to be harmless."

Kagami straightforwardly discloses, "Then if I win, I don't want you to come near me ever again." Aomine passes the basketball back to its owner's arms and shortens the distance between the owner and he. He brushes away the course bangs in order to see his soul mate's burning, smoldering eyes more clearly. Kagami immediately jerks back.

_So that you can learn how to love…_

"That's a bold statement you said there." Aomine yawns. "Enough chitchat and let's play."

Therefore, they did.

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><p>Aomine knows he is mean. He is cruel and blinded, inflicted by hurt and pain. He knows Kagami is injured, but Kagami isn't backing down. He's not shrinking back, so as a reward, he fights Kagami with half of his strength. Half is generous if you ask him.<p>

At the end of the improvised match, Aomine won with total victory. He wipes away a bead of sweat and looks down at the bowing figure before him. Aomine can see the violent quivering of Kagami's leg and doesn't miss the clenched fists.

Aomine expected the guilt to eventually seep into his bones, but the empathy is not willing to show.

"Well, that was disappointing," he says.

Kagami grits his teeth. He's not sure if it is from the loss or the spikes of pain shooting in his leg.

Aomine continues, "Your light is too dim. At this rate, Tetsu's talent would be wasted."

Kagami can only interpret these words at face value, but in his heart, Kagami knew there were unspoken words. The subtext made him clench his fists tighter, making his knuckles turn white.

_He wasn't worthy enough to be his soul mate._

Aomine leaves Kagami a brief farewell. "I'll think about my wish and tell you later. We'll meet again."

Aomine left and exited the basketball court, leaving Kagami to swallow defeat.

Satsuki is waiting for him at the gate, opening her mouth to give him an assortment of complaints over his disappearance.

"I met their ace," he announces. "I met Kagami Taiga."

After another round of a nagging Satsuki, she asks him, "How was he?"

Aomine ponders over the Seirin student. He ponders over his stupid flaming red hair. He ponders over that stupid flush on his neck. He ponders over that stupid glimmer of rebellion in his crimson eyes, which were always trailing him whenever he makes a drive. Then Aomine closes his eyes and remembers the stupid promise of meeting again in those same, exact eyes. They were unyielding. They were thirsty for revenge.

At last, he answers, "He's definitely not cute." This puzzles Satsuki more than intended.

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><p>"What a load of crap!" Kagami exclaims. He purposely creases his eyebrows further and impersonates the douchebag of his soul mate while crossing his arms cockily. "<em>The only one who can beat me is me<em>. God Kuroko that is a bad case of tunnel vision if you ask me."

Kuroko made a small smile. Kagami groaned.

"I don't want to be his soul mate." Kuroko sympathetically patted his friend's back. He comforts, "Aomine isn't that bad." Kagami cocks one eyebrow.

They both laugh hysterically.

"Man, Kuroko," the taller snickered, "you really suck at jokes."

"I try my best, Kagami-kun."

Kagami then held a solemn expression. "I guess I can empathize with the bastard, though," he confesses. "But! It's not a good excuse to be a jerk to you. Also how short-sighted! Who does he think he is? Japan isn't the only country in the world. There's bound to be other basketball players who can rival against him. Me included!"

Kagami stops walking and looks at his closest friend, "That's why, for our sake, we'll beat Aomine. Let's show him our basketball. Let's open that idiot's eyes once more. Who cares if he's my soul mate? I won't show mercy. You won't either. Right?"

Kuroko nodded, not sure if he should be relieved or perturbed by Kagami's reaction to Aomine. However, the date of the game is closing in, and he will wait for Kagami to be willing enough to confide in him. Like a good friend, they fist bumped.

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><p><strong>Special thanks to Shirouta, Absalon95, Mgluvsbl25, Teddy, EminaRukiax, and Guest. To Absalon95, hopefully Kagami won't be put into too much pain (mostly likely I will put him in pain). Yay, they meet! Let's see what my brain concocts next time (most likely angst until the small fluff kicks in)!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I do not own the characters. Unbetaed. Thank you everybody so much for your support. Let's aim for another chapter!**

**I would like to thank EminaRukiax, Mgluvsbl25, Absalon95, damons-hot-as-hell, Teddy, and UltimateSoULReApeR5960 for the wonderful reviews. You guys make me smile. And yes, this is following the main storyline. I don't know if I'll diverge from it or not. Let's find out. Absalon95, this chapter is my reply to your review (conveniently I was planning to write about it here). Another thank you to Mgluvsbl25 because I kind of needed that extra support for my exam. I'll see the results tomorrow. Gulps.**

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><p>At the middle of a dark living room, a phone was vibrating violently on the coffee table. The noises it made were incessant patters until a hand grabbed the tremoring device. With his other hand, Kagami rubs his eyes and grumbles, "Who on earth would call at this hour?"<p>

It was an unidentified number.

Kagami wanted to ignore the call altogether, but there was a chance that it might be his father. After all, his father could be using his work phone and time differences are difficult to keep a track on.

He mumbles drowsily, "Hello? This is Kagami."

"Hello there," Aomine purrs.

Right then and there Kagami was absolutely tempted to extract the phone from his ear as if it contained deadly mold and slam it against the wall. Sadly, he is not rich enough to do such luxuries.

Kagami breathed in and out.

"How the hell did you get my number?" he hisses.

"Satsuki has her connections."

"What the hell do you want? It's-" Kagami checks the top right corner of his phone for the time. "It's fucking 2 o' clock in the morning," he huffs out, too exhausted to add more peppery bite to his words.

"I can't sleep, so I was planning to mastur-"

"Are you harassing me? I feel like I'm being harassed."

Aomine resumes as if he didn't hear Kagami's remarks. "-to Mai-chan's photos until I remembered our little bet. I know what I want to wish now."

"Can't you wait- I don't know-," Kagami says sardonically, "-until the sun is up to tell me?"

"Time is of the essence, Kagami."

Kagami sighs. He can hang up, but knowing his soul mate in these last few contacts, his soul mate seems persistent. He might as well go along with his whims.

"What is your wish then?"

On the other line, Aomine checks his phone, wondering if there are glitches because his soul mate is actually listening to him without any snarky comebacks. He quickly recovers from the shock, though.

He fiddles around with his pillow while requesting, "Talk about yourself."

"…What?"

Aomine repeats, "You're my soul mate and I want to know more about you, so… talk about yourself until I feel sleepy."

"…That's it?"

"That's it."

Kagami massages his temples. "Can you just ask me questions? I'm not in the mood to give you a whole spiel of my autobiography."

"That can be arranged."

Kagami waves his hand to an imaginary Aomine. "I'm waiting."

"When's your birthday?"

"August 2nd."

"Mine's August 31st."

"Why should I care?"

"It's an important date. Remember it."

Kagami scoffs, "Keep dreaming."

"What's your favorite food?"

Kagami deadpans, "Cheeseburgers."

"Tch. So American."

"Keep insulting me, and I'm going to hang up."

"I don't get a second chance?"

"It's fucking 2 A.M."

Aomine switches to another subject. "What do you like to do when you have free time?"

"Basketball. Duh."

"Excluding basketball."

"I guess I would go shopping for clothes and groceries. If I had time, I would probably sleep."

"You're boring."

Kagami clicks his tongue. He sarcastically says, "Well, I'm _sorry_ that I don't have an interesting life. Would you like me to mix in some explosions and revenge? Or would you prefer me to date a girl and find out that she's my long lost sister from South Africa?"

Aomine wonders why he wanted to make a phone call with this person.

"Are you dating someone?"

"… No."

"Then why don't you want me?"

"It… It's not like that."

Aomine's heart skips a beat, and he doesn't know if it skipped because of hope or Kagami's voice. It could be both.

"Why Kagami," he coaxes, "why do you reject the red string so much?"

Kagami pauses. Maybe he is tired and has, as of late, only three hours of sleep. Maybe it was the strange, soothing effect the man has on him. Maybe he drank a truth serum yesterday without knowing it.

Whatever the reason, he slowly whispers, "I don't want to end up like her."

"Her?" Aomine curiously whispers back.

"My biological mother cheated on my father with another man at our house."

Anybody could have heard a pin drop in this silence.

Kagami continues, "My father was willing to forgive her because he loved her unconditionally, but instead of accepting his forgiveness, she left, leaving us all alone."

Aomine holds his breath.

"I recently learned that my mother remarried. She has another family now."

On that destined night, his father cooked so much food; even Kagami's bottomless pit of a stomach could have burst. His father tried to stave off the guilt, but knowing that he couldn't make his soul mate happy consumed him. It made him input all of his extra energy into his work. It was the only way he could grieve.

"It makes me wonder how unhappy she was to push her to do what she did. She left her husband and her only child without a blink of an eye. She destroyed a marriage and family."

When he saw his mother walking at the park with her new lover, he wanted to storm up to her and lash out, making her relive the guilt, but when he saw two children by her side, he couldn't do it. It doesn't mean that the anger dissipated, but whether or not they are her biological children, it doesn't matter. They don't deserve what he felt. No child deserves to see their mother leave them. No child deserves to see an angry teenager storm up to your mother and verbally attacks her, so he runs. He runs in the opposite direction and never mentioned this to his father.

"They were so young Aomine. They were barely our age, but rather than marrying with a person they are ready to spend their life with, they were married to the idea of marrying with the person at the end of your string. They wanted to be the perfect couple. And that's what makes it sad," Kagami explains. "They were already imperfect to begin with."

Aomine couldn't say anything. It wasn't right to do so.

"If there is a reason why I don't want you, your rotten personality would be your best guess, but it's not just because of the red string." Aomine clutches his phone tighter.

Kagami apologizes, "You seem like somebody who would like to live the apple pie life with your soul mate, but I'm sorry. I don't want us to make the same mistake. I don't want us to be together just because of a red string. I don't want us to be unhappy, regretting over our actions." He's not ready to jump into the bandwagon. "If you still want me, then you have to make me fall for you," Kagami finishes.

Aomine became eerily quiet.

Kagami inwardly groans and lightly slaps his cheeks, cursing himself over and over again. He could have reworded that. He should have. "How about we forget every-"

"Let's make another bet at our next game," Aomine finally says.

"Huh?"

"The same rules apply. Winner gets to make the loser do anything he wants."

"What?"

"What's wrong Kagami?" Aomine jabs, "Are you hesitant because I beat you last time?"

Aomine can hear the hot-blooded man slam something, which is akin to a table. "Hell no!" Kagami shouts.

"Good to hear that even though I'm going to kick your ass," he yawns.

"I'll make you eat your words," he interjects.

Before Kagami could say any additional words, Aomine chuckles. "Good night Kagami."

Before Kagami could say anything else, he hears his phone click.

* * *

><p>For both Kagami and Aomine, there is at least one mutual understanding. Soul mates and basketball have one defined line they should never cross.<p>

Even though Kagami doesn't know the full story of Kuroko and Aomine, he is aware that there is unfinished business between the two former Teiko players. He also has unfinished business, but theirs is more intense and more fragile. Kuroko seems to be hanging on a thin line. He seems agitated to the core.

When Aomine swaggers in and wraps his arm around his sweaty shoulders, Kagami's breath hitched, and he automatically wrings the arm away from him. This attracted the attention of the crowd and their two respective teams. They were at the center of the spotlight, and everybody knew why.

Everybody could see it. The red cord connected between the two aces were as clear as day. The crowd was riled up. Rumors began to speculate within the seats. Touou fans bemoaned over Aomine. Other speculators were speculating if these turn of events would affect the game.

Riko Aida can see the headlines now. _The Star-Crossed Lovers of the Inter-High_.

However, none of that matters to the two players. The game must go on.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I do not own the characters. Unbetaed. I have to prepare a speech? What speech? *shifts eyes* There is a smidgen of violence, so I think we can handle it. lol. Also, thank you everybody for your support and love. This chapter wouldn't exist without you. **

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><p>The tears wouldn't stop spilling from her face.<p>

Satsuki cries out, "Leave him, Daiki!"

However, her words were distant to Aomine's ears as he pummels her good-for-nothing soul mate with each bone-crushing punch. He crushes the guy's nose. He smacks his face back and forth ruthlessly. He uses every ounce of his rage into each attack. He could have done more damage, but Murasakibara and Kise stopped him with a chokehold. He struggles to and fro, but he knows he can't win. He gives up trying to claw the battered, sickening pervert's eyes out, and instead threatens him.

"Touch her one more time," Aomine snarls, "and you'll never see daylight again."

Akashi walks up to Kuroko, who was still comforting a frightened Satsuki. He asks, "Did you call the police yet?"

Kuroko nods. Akashi turns around and glowers at the whimpering baboon. Said baboon cowered.

"Good," he says. "I'll make sure this vile creature pay for his actions."

News of the Generation of Miracles spread across town like wildfire. They were heroes, idols, but the fame did not matter to Aomine.

Luckily, Akashi's influence saved Aomine's ass, but that doesn't mean that Aomine left without a couple battle wounds. Sporting a bandage on his left cheek, he gnarled, "If I ever see that guy again, I swear I'll rip him to shreds."

Kuroko made no comment, but Aomine knows Kuroko would do the same in his own way.

He looks down at the ground sullenly. His expression darkens. "Kuroko," he says.

"Yes, Aomine-kun?"

"I'm wondering if I'll like her." Aomine bites his lip as the memory of Satsuki's pale face and tear-streaked cheeks haunt him. "I hope my soul mate isn't like that creep," he confides. Kuroko can read the uncertainty written on his friend and grabs Aomine's sleeve.

"Honestly, I don't understand much about soul mates," he discloses, "but don't lose too much faith in your soul mate." He gives a small smile. "I don't think your soul mate would appreciate that."

Aomine gives a weary smile. "Yeah," he lightens up, "My soul mate wouldn't be a creep. She wouldn't hurt a fly. She would be kind and have a heart of gold." His confidence grows a bit more. "She would be like an angel," he sighs dreamily.

Kuroko disagrees. "Honestly, I can't imagine you with somebody like that. You're too rough for someone that gentle."

Aomine pouts. He hurls back, "Stop raining on my rainbow."

Kuroko shrugs.

"Fine. If this so-called soul mate is not my type," he insinuates, "then who is my type?"

Kuroko responds with a straight face, "You won't believe me."

Aomine nudges his friend. "C'mon. I promise I won't laugh."

"If you do, I'll poke you with all my strength."

"C'mon, Kuroko," he mocks, "C'mon."

"I believe," Kuroko starts, "that your soul mate is a basketball player who loves basketball as much as you do. Your soul mate would probably have basketballs for brains." Kuroko gives his light a side-glance. "Just like you."

"Hey!"

"You would probably prefer your soul mate to be like you anyway," Kuroko smiles, "It would mean that she would be kind and soft in her own special way like Aomine-kun."

Aomine grunts as he blushes, "Shut up."

"Also, just to be ironic, she wouldn't have big boobs."

Aomine can only stare at his weird friend. Then he reacted immediately and covered his mouth to stifle his laughter. His voice is muffled, but Kuroko can hear amusement and a bit of a giggle near the end. "Kuroko, pfft, you can't be serious."

As promised, the tanned idiot received a stabbing poke.

"OUCH!"

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><p>Aomine really hates it when Kuroko's right. Damn his perceptiveness.<p>

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><p>Seirin is losing, and Kagami wants this nightmare to end. His knee is worn out. Kuroko's pass is useless against Aomine. The team's morale is crumbling. This night couldn't get any worse.<p>

"Seirin requests a player change!" he hears.

Now this night can get worse, he thinks.

When he is benched with a towel hanging over his head, he trembles with incense. He couldn't live up to expectations. He let the whole team down. He let Kuroko down.

Seirin lost, and he couldn't do anything but to watch it all go down in flames.

He eyes his rival one last time before he disappears. There is another reason why he is boiling with rage, and it surprises him. He doesn't know why. He's too scared to dive in and find out, but he knows that when he saw Aomine with that standoffish expression during the game, it irks him immensely. It's like a mosquito bite. He continues to scratch the itch more and more until he starts bleeding, but it does nothing because the itch is still under his skin.

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><p>He can hear the gossip. He doesn't even have to strain his ears to listen.<p>

"Hey, have you heard? His soul mate is the ace of a rival school!"

"He doesn't look like he would bat for the other team."

"I heard he lost on purpose because he couldn't stand playing against his soul mate."

"How romantic!"

"Are you sure? He looks like he's limping."

"A friend from the rival school told me that his soul mate pushed one of his teammates into a locker."

"Oh my God! Do you think it has to do with Kagami?"

Kagami coughs loudly. All eyes are now on him. He braces himself, feeling naked and vulnerable before their invasive scrutiny.

"Kagami-kun."

Before him is Kuroko, the very same Kuroko who looked at him in hurt last time they met. This is the same Kuroko he is trying to avoid because of their need for a temporary separation. The sting can still be seen a mile away, but Kuroko waves at him.

"Did you do your Japanese History homework?"

"Crap," Kagami panics. "Can I-"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

They maintain this charade of normalcy until the whispers behind his back die out. Kagami didn't get a chance to thank Kuroko, but he is eternally grateful for this short-lived mercy. It's an unspoken agreement, but tomorrow they'll avoid each other, allowing some distance for some reevaluation in their skills and limits.

He can hear the gossip, but it's not the only thing he hears.

A textbook slams onto a desk. "Will you please shut up?"

Keiko, who sits next to him, is hovering over a particular group of students with her hands on her hips. "All of your yapping is annoying, and I can't concentrate on studying." She gets closer to one student until her face is inches away. "You guys must be damn confident to not study for the quiz, or is something else more important?"

The students dispersed and frantically opened their textbooks. The respectable girl went back to her seat, glanced at Kagami, and gave him a thumbs-up.

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><p>Tatsuya is back. He's back, and Kagami tries to be level-headed but is failing spectacularly. The visible strain in their relationship is like a rubber band. It keeps stretching and stretching, and it's only a matter of time until it snaps. The rubber band stretches a bit more when Kagami sees Murasakibara, who is one of his targets at the Winter Cup. The colossal teen has a string, and it's connected to Tatsuya.<p>

Kagami gapes.

Tatsuya waves his hand as if to shoo away Kagami's misunderstanding and nonchalantly says, "We're not together."

He smiles an unreadable smile. "If it wasn't for this string," he raises his hand to prove his point, "Atsushi's soul mate would have been his snacks." Kuroko nods. It's a hard statement to contradict when everyone can see the lavender-haired titan munching his chips with fervor. Then he adds, "We decided to be friends."

Kagami wonders if there is an invisible string that has yet to be discovered because the coincidence is too unreal for him to believe. Or it's a small world after all. And Kagami doesn't know if he should laugh or not.

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><p>Kagami is accompanying Kuroko as he escorts Momoi back home. In coach's words, he is "the extra protection Kuroko and Momoi need in case undesirables surround them".<p>

Kuroko is slightly vexed by the implication that he is too weak to defend Momoi, so as a form of revenge, he makes Nigou tail after Kagami closely. He's not evil per se, but he is amused each time Kagami flinches whenever Nigou is within a six-inch radius.

Excluding Kagami's sounds of discomfort, the walk was peaceful.

"We haven't walked like this in ages." Momoi announces as they make a complete stop in front of her house. "We should do this again."

"Try not to come when it's raining," Kagami admonishes. Kuroko silently agrees.

Momoi was opening her front door until they heard an echo of her name. At the end of the street, there was Aomine, panting excessively and looking distraught as if he was searching for her for hours. He charges towards them, not caring about his knee, and this action forces Momoi to run towards Aomine and smack him upside the head.

"Aho!" she screams hysterically, "Are you trying to ruin your basketball career?! You can't put any more weight on-"

She plans to say more, but her words are muffled as Aomine tightly embraces his childhood friend. Momoi slowly pats him on the back. By the hunch of his shoulders and the sound of him being out of breath, Momoi is both awed and concerned.

"You-you didn't answer your phone," he mutters. He lets go of Momoi and twists his mouth. Momoi is still stunned.

"I'm sorry," he grumbles. "I'm sorry for calling you ugly. I was just angry." His lower lip sticks out as if he doesn't want to apologize but acknowledges that he must. His eyes shift away until he sees Kagami, slack-jawed.

In a way, he did witness a historical, monumental moment.

Aomine's face soured. "What is he doing here?"

He receives another smack on the head. Any further smacking and he would be the next headless horseman. "Stop being rude," Momoi chides, "They were taking me home. As you can see, I'm safe and sound." Her face, which was stern before, softens. "Thank you, Dai-chan." She sweetly smiles. "I forgive you."

Then she proceeds to pounce and squeeze Kuroko with all of her love. "Good night Tetsu-kun! Have sweet dreams!"

At last, she shyly waves at Kagami. "You too, Kagamin."

As she disappears inside her home, Kuroko deems that Kagami and he completed their mission.

"It's nice to see you again, Aomine-kun," Kuroko says curtly, "but if you'll excuse us, we need to go home and rest." He faces the direction of his house. "Kagami-kun," he beckons.

Kagami was about to move until he feels a faint tug on his sleeve, and the abrupt touch seizes him as if he couldn't escape Aomine's grasp, as if his body has a mind of its own. Goosebumps appear as he listens to Aomine's next words.

"Hey Tetsu, do you mind if I borrow him?"

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><p><strong>AN: I would like to express my gratitude to Mgluvsbl25 (they are cute, aren't they?), damons-hot-as-hell, EminaRukiax, Guest (I'm glad I made your day!), BlazeMary (most likely in the most cheesiest or lamest way), DiamondGoddess, Fran-anisca Grave, and The Rayne Alchemist (I feel honored to have your input!). *Round of Applause***


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I do not own the characters. Unbetaed. I wrote this today before exams and finals overtake my life. Hopefully I can update soon. Thank you so much for the support. You guys are awesome sauce. **

**I would like to thank Fran-anisca Grave, EminaRukiax (*wink wink), Mgluvsbl25 (Sorry about Himuro. I wanted to expand the soul mate relationship spectrum... or am I?), Teddy (Here you go!), DiamondGoddess (yay, this story is charming!), and Guest for the beautiful reviews. You guys are like my fuel or something. **

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><p>Kagami opens his mouth to protest, but nothing comes out. There is a sense of urgency in Aomine's request, and though Kagami has the right mind to flat out reject him, a small, minute part of him is compassionate enough to stick with this insufferable man.<p>

He knows he's going to regret this decision.

"Kuroko," he calls out, "I'm going with him. Is that okay?"

Kuroko stops and turns around. "I'm fine," he says, "but are you okay?"

Kagami is puzzled, and the prominent crease of his eyebrows displays his confusion.

Kuroko does a light snort and beckons Nigou to follow him instead. "Good night, Kagami-kun." Then he courteously nods his head to Aomine, and Aomine tersely waves back. Their mountain of problems is too high to be resolved in one night.

Kagami sighs.

Aomine prods, "Continue sighing like that and you'll end up as a miserable geezer."

Kagami sighs again. The world is definitely against him.

He has an essay due tomorrow. Coach is planning a new drill more brutal than the previous one. His refrigerator has to be restocked soon. He made a girl cry today. He met Tatsuya and his soul mate. And he still can't fucking pick up a piece of broccoli with his left hand.

He needs a fucking break.

For some reason, Aomine widens his eyes. "Wow," he says, "Today's not a good day, is it?"

Of course Kagami would spew out his troubles without knowing. It's just him and his big mouth. He covers his reddening cheeks and redirects Aomine back to his original question.

"What do you need to borrow me for?" Fuck, that sounds out of context somehow.

Now it's Aomine's turn to awkwardly scratch the back of his neck. "I didn't want Satsuki to find out."

Kagami's train of thought shrieks to a sudden halt. "What?"

"Ever since she ran off, I panicked so..."

"So…" Kagami makes a circling gesture with his hand to indicate Aomine to go on.

Aomine avoids eye contact. "… I may have overworked my knee when I was looking for her."

"… You overworked your knee," Kagami repeated dumbly, "the same knee you injured at the Kaijou match?"

"… Yes."

The smack Kagami did to Aomine's head was the smack of the century. Light-years away there are unidentified life forms who can still hear its resounding echo.

"OUCH!" he yelps. He gingerly touches his tender head. "What was that for?"

"Momoi's right," Kagami grits out, "You are an aho."

"It's going to bruise!"

"I hope it bruises, so that it can be a reminder of your dumb mistakes!"

Aomine tries to defend his pride, "I couldn't just ignore her and leave her out there alone."

"Did it occur to you that you could have asked for help?"

Aomine shields his head in case there's an upcoming blow; he knows he can't answer.

Kagami shivers. The frosty air of Japan is not his friend, and mentally throwing insults at the most stuck-up man in the universe isn't going to help their situation. They are not exactly in perfect harmony, but Aomine is injured and he needs to go back home. Scratch that. His home is too bare and cold. He bets that the outside temperature is warmer than the empty, frigid apartment he calls home. Before he can worry about those minor details, there has to be a ceasefire.

Kagami bravely makes the first move. He grapples Aomine's left arm and curls it around his shoulders. He asks, "Can you walk like that?"

Aomine was so taken aback by Kagami's bold move that he is frozen in place.

"Aomine?"

The question directed to him was metaphorically thrown out of the window.

Kagami mutters a curse under his breath. "Shit, I lost him. The pain must be getting to him."

Kagami would love to drop Aomine, abandon him, and enjoy a nice pot of soup. Unfortunately, he is entrusted with a conscience, so he chooses doing the good deed. Since he doesn't want to bicker with his soul mate at this time of night, he decides to get closer to Aomine's ear. Some blue locks tickle his nose, but it's not to the point where he would sneeze yet. His nose twitches, and he accidentally takes in a whiff of Aomine's musky cologne. The scent is tantalizing, luring Kagami in to be enveloped in this addicting smell, but he resists it.

Aomine is still in a dazed trance until Kagami leans in and softly murmurs, "Can you walk?"

Aomine jolts back to life, which causes the redhead to almost lose his balance.

"Careful!" Kagami quickly maneuvers his hands to bring Aomine upright again. "Let's get you home. Can we call your parents?"

"No… They're kind of on a date."

Kagami makes his third sigh in a row. "Can you lead me to your place?"

"What about your parents?" Aomine inquires.

"I live alone."

If it was biologically possible for Aomine to widen his eyes any further, he would end up having fish eyes.

"Oh…" he trails off.

With their combined teamwork, they manage to trudge their way into the Aomine household. They both collapse on his bed, with Aomine laying down in a supine position and Kagami dangling off the corner.

After a couple of minutes, Kagami pushes himself up. "Hey, I'm going to get some ice. Do you mind?"

"No?"

"Good."

Kagami excuses himself and closes the door behind him. Aomine can hear the ice being dispensed but also recognizes some tinkering happening at the kitchen. He strains his ears but can't really translate the sounds. Aomine shakes his head in disbelief. "What the hell is he doing?"

Kagami reemerges with an ice pack that sprung out of nowhere and puts it onto the nasty purpling bruise forming on Aomine's knee. Due to the sudden change of temperature and the flash of pain on his patellar, Aomine's sucks in a breath.

"You should get that checked."

"I'll heal. After all, you did, too." He refers back to Kagami's previous leg injury.

His soul mate clicks his tongue.

Kagami stretches by locking his fingers and reaching for the ceiling. "You're welcome, by the way." He points to the ice pack, "Now that you are properly equipped for the time being, I'll be taking my leave."

"Wait."

"What?" Kagami is a bit annoyed.

"You lost."

Kagami is very annoyed. "Hah?"

"You lost the match against us."

Kagami is slightly pissed off. "Why is this a good time to bring it up?"

"Huh," Aomine speaks as if enlightened, "Never knew you would be the type to hold a grudge."

"I'm not holding a grudge!"

"You are." Aomine points at an imaginary vein popping out.

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

Kagami rapidly repeats, "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

Kagami carefully pronounces each syllable. "No. I'm. Not."

Aomine follows Kagami's lead. "Yes. You. Are."

"Not."

"Are."

The two basketball players harrumphed and looked the opposite direction. They are both indeed stubborn.

They stayed and acted like children for about a million years until Aomine mustered the motivation to break the ice, which is an incredible feat considering his streak. "I won."

"I think we established that already, Ahomine." The sarcasm was strong in that statement.

"That means I get a wish," he reminds Kagami.

Kagami sighs for the fourth time. Maybe Aomine is right. He will end up as a miserable geezer if Aomine continues to torture him like this.

He warns, "I swear if it's another phone call, I may have to question about your wishes."

Aomine mischievously smirks, "I'm not that stupid, Bakagami."

Kagami slumps on a nearby chair with his chin resting on his hand. "Well, then," he says, "What do you wish?"

The way his eyes lidded and the way his lips curved upward could have been a dead giveaway.

"Hold my hand for five minutes."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I do not own the characters. Unbetaed. As you can see, I was excited to write this chapter. Now I can study in peace. Thank you very much for the support!**

**I would like to thank Uta, yasnoglazz (I will seriously try now. I swear), Mgluvsbl25 (because my life's goal is to raise your sugar levels), Absalon95, EminaRukiax (when one says short, let there be longer!), Teddy, DiamondGoddess, and sakuki-yuu (don't worry, my friend can translate or technology!)**

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><p>Kagami Taiga has experienced a myriad of unforeseen and unexpected plot twists. He can name an abundance of them, too.<p>

When he was little, he once shuffled closer to a black Labrador to touch its silky fur until it got aggressive and chased the traumatized boy all the way to Alex's house.

That plot twist cost him a scar on his butt.

Or what Izuki would proclaim, "He is the butt of a joke!"

When he couldn't play wholeheartedly with Tatsuya in their final game before he left for America, Tatsuya punched him. When Tatsuya's fist connected with his cheek, Kagami made a cruel epiphany.

That plot twist cost him their friendship and, inevitably, a broken heart. Somehow he glued back most of the pieces back together.

When he stressed his legs out with Midorima, he couldn't join practice. Like a rebellious fool, he practiced on the court despite the warnings.

This foolishness led him to his soul mate.

Therefore, when he was expecting something outrageous from Aomine and was proven wrong, he was suspicious and was on high alert. He has to because usually there's a consequence whenever he lets his guard down.

He argues, "I have to go home, though."

Aomine counters, "My folks will get here soon. They can drive you home. Besides, you don't live close here, do you?" It was a conjecture, but Aomine hits the spot.

Kagami puffs out a breath of air, and it makes his bangs fly up. "Fine," he relents, "Only five minutes."

Aomine's clammy, calloused hand picks up his hand, the one that has the string attached to it, and carefully laces their fingers together until their palms are touching. Aomine sighs appreciatively.

Hoping to rouse Kagami, he experimentally squeezes. He got the reaction he wanted. Kagami can see the smugness in his smirk.

"I like this." Aomine drawls with his sultry voice. "I should have requested longer if I knew you were going to be so complacent. I feel a bit cheated."

The smug bastard raises their hands and brings them closer to his lips until they are ghosting over one of Kagami's knuckle.

Kagami tries to defy against the blood rushing to his cheeks. He narrows his eyes. "What are you scheming?"

Aomine lightly pecks the knuckle of Kagami's pinky, which is close to where his string is tied to. There is absolute satisfaction in his predatory eyes when he feels a muscle twitch under his lips. "I'm trying to make you fall for me," he says in a matter-of-fact way.

Kagami diverts his eyes, knowing that if he continues to observe the way Aomine's lips caress his fingers, he may go mad.

"You're doing a shitty job of it," he scoffs. "If I was you, I would have requested a French kiss."

Aomine snorts. "If you want a kiss _that _bad, I can do that, too." He waggles his eyebrows suggestively.

Kagami bites back. "I'm not!"

Aomine simply shrugs. "Whatever you say," he remarks dubiously. He gives one last kiss to his soul mate's ring finger.

He now focuses on the dorsal side of Kagami's hand and rests his warm cheek on it affectionately. "Of course I would like a kiss," Aomine admits, "but there's no point if you don't initiate it."

Kagami furrows his eyebrows. "Why does it matter to you?"

Aomine deeply gazes into Kagami's eyes, and Kagami, inexperienced with this type of atmosphere, was captured in the moment. There was so much raw and bare emotion in Touou's ace that he had to stay speechless.

"It matters to me because I want it matter to you," Aomine says.

He doesn't know how to emphasize this enough.

He remembers the incident as if it was yesterday. Satsuki lived through a nightmare after meeting her soul mate. There would be nights where she would scream in agony, where she would sob throughout the whole night. He would know because he would sometimes sleep over as an excuse to check on her. She got over it quickly since she never knew the man, but she's forever connected to him.

It makes him want to throw up.

He recalls the initial fear he felt as he comforted her trembling back.

It was a wake-up call.

_I could be that kind of man, _Aomine realizes in disgust, and that is why he made his own promise.

It's scary how he almost forgot it, his promise to love and treasure his soul mate.

He laughs to himself. He hasn't been doing a good job of that.

"If I force myself on you," he goes on, "then I'm not worth being your soul mate- string or no string."

Kagami, who was avidly listening, has no follow-up. He averts his eyes nervously as the silence permeates the room. The air is thick, and the intensity of Aomine's gaze is too much for the ace of Seirin.

As a last ditch effort, he comments, "Your room is messy."

This seemingly innocent claim is not so seemingly innocent to Aomine. You see, when a person receives the same question over and over again, it tends to get burdensome and redundant, especially when said person has to come up with an appropriate excuse over and over again. Said person is Aomine; the perpetrator is Momoi.

That is why whenever Aomine hears this sort of mundane question, his automatic response tends to be, "Of course it's a mess if I want to hide my porn."

If this was Satsuki, she would blubber and stalk out of his room with the word "gross" passing from her lips. However, this is not Satsuki.

Wait.

This is not Satsuki.

This is-

The gears that were working in Aomine's head put two and two together.

This is not Satsuki.

This is-

Fuck.

"…"

"… Shit."

Aomine sputters, "I'm sorry. I mean- Shit, I'm trying to- God, I do have but- argh." He clamps his mouth with his free hand to shut himself up.

Imagine a colony of penguins waddling on the ice, minding their own business. Imagine one of them slipping and making a crunching fall. Imagine the colony gasping, all concerned over that one penguin. That sound is the sound dying in Aomine's mouth as he wonders what is flitting through his soul mate's head.

This is awfully humiliating.

Kagami blankly stares at Aomine for a good fifteen seconds. The corner of his mouth twitched until it rose up. Out of the blue, he chortles loudly, laughing at Aomine's blunder.

"Oh my god," he gasps, "that was bad!" He keeps on laughing.

Pink dusts on Aomine's cheeks. He bites his lower lip as he unconvincingly explains, "Satsuki always snoops around and bothers me. She gets out when I say that."

"That is…haha… So typical… pfft… of you," Kagami says in between laughs.

When Aomine closely listens, he notices that Kagami's laughter is something new. Unlike his father's roaring laughter or Satsuki's chiming laughter, Kagami contains it at first. Usually, people who succeed in doing that could be seen shaking violently along with their laughs, but Kagami fails at this as his true laugh slowly seeps out until it bursts, never ceasing as it keeps rolling out.

It's music to Aomine's ears.

It's also highly infectious, and Aomine's broad smile exhibits its effectiveness.

"Shut up," he pokes a rib, "You have porn, too, right?"

Kagami wipes away a tear from his eye. "I do, but that doesn't mean I leave my room a pigsty."

"What do you think of Mai-chan?"

"… What?"

"Mai-chan," Aomine says as if her name is the answer of the universe.

The metaphorical light bulb in Kagami's head lit up. "Oh," he snaps, "I remember seeing her picture once." He scratches his neck awkwardly. "She's not my type, though."

If Aomine was sipping some water when Kagami said that horrid sentence, he would have spit it all over his uncultured face.

He grabs Kagami's collar and interrogates him. "Why?"

If they don't have similar sexual preferences, how the heck are they going to be sexually compatible?

Kagami sweat drops. "I don't know why. She just doesn't appeal to me."

"Which gravure idol do you like?"

Kagami profusely blushes. Aomine's suspicious. "Why are we talking about this?!"

"Because we are naturally horny men and as natural horny men, I have the right to compare."

Kagami objects, "That argument is totally invalid! It doesn't even make sense!"

"Are you sure," Aomine rhetorically asks, "Are you really sure?"

The tiger is not budging. The panther resorts to begging.

"Kagami, please, I want to know."

"No, you don't!"

Aomine laughs as his soul mate brightens to a red tomato. He jokingly threatens, "If you don't tell me her name, I'll lick you."

Kagami quickly catches on and fake gasps, "You wouldn't."

The two losers should totally win an award for best actors.

Aomine returns the favor from before and leans closer until he's next to Kagami's ear. He whispers, "How did you like it?"

Kagami, puzzled, asks, "What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about," Aomine pulls Kagami with their intertwined hands, "this." They are still locked together. "I don't have my phone on me, but I'm pretty sure that it has been over five minutes."

Technically, it has been twenty minutes, but Kagami doesn't need to know.

He immediately retracts his hand back and rubs against his wrist, timidly looking down at the ground. Before anything could be said, Aomine hears the slam of a car door and the familiar jingle of his parent's keys.

"Go ahead and greet them," Aomine instructs. "Tell them you need a ride home since you helped me here because of my injured knee." He kicks Kagami out of the room. "Go," he hurries, "before they notice we're connected. If they find out, you'll never leave. Trust me."

Kagami nods. "Get well soon." As he turns for the door, the last thing Aomine hears is, "We'll meet again." That is his promise for a revenge match.

* * *

><p>In life, there are bound to be plot twists. This one is no different. When Kagami offered to deliver Aomine back home, he didn't expect to be wooed by the idiot.<p>

As usual, there is a consequence. Only this plot twist cost him something more than he could provide. It's more internal than external, and Kagami doesn't like it. Not one bit.

Because he knows by the end of this day, he'll wake up tomorrow and find that his heart is stolen.

* * *

><p>Somewhere in the future, Aomine does eventually figure out Kagami's favorite gravure idol because there is no need to stare at them when he has someone more real than that.<p>

He couldn't hear it at first since the words were jumbled and incoherent due the bunch of sweater in his mouth, but when he repeated the name, Aomine heard it correctly.

"Yura," he echoes. "_That_ Yura?" He saw her name once in a magazine, and though he skips the captions, there was one word that caught his eye.

_Dominatrix._

"You little kinky fucker," he utters.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I do not own the characters. Unbetaed. It's funny when I decided to study and not write fanfiction, and suddenly I get sick. Is this a sign? Thank you everybody for the lovely support. It's helping me recover, I swear. Also there are some lines straight from the manga here in case you were wondering. They were too good to cut or change. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!**

**I would like to thank Mgluvsbl25, Uta (The direction of this story strayed from what I originally planned. It was more tragic. With more tears. And angst. So... I changed the genre. I guess it's just romance. Thanks for reminding me!), EminaRukiax, damons-hot-as-hell, Absalon95 (Thank you for the suggestion! I'll use that soon, but be in mind I'm going to twist it up a bit.), The Rayne Alchemist, and LDK!  
><strong>

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><p>Momoi hands over the wooden spoon to her private cooking instructor. "Is this sweet enough, Kagamin?"<p>

Kagami licks the third trial of her blueberry sauce and smacks his lips. He approves. "It's delicious," he compliments, "but lower the temperature," he points at the oven knob, "or it'll burn."

Momoi salutes like a soldier. "Yes!"

They are working on blueberry tarts together because of Momoi's request a couple of days ago. The date of the Winter Cup is approaching, so Momoi, being the sweetheart that she is, professes to Aomine at their usual spot that she will make some snacks for the basketball team as an incentive to pump the team. Aomine, being the jackass that he is, doesn't believe her.

"Then he said," Momoi wrinkles the bridge of her nose and grimaces, "_Satsuki, I know you try to be cute sometimes, but if I swallow down any more of your homemade crap, I won't be able to live past graduation._"

If Momoi was holding a soda can, she would have crushed it with her bare hands. Kagami slowly steps back.

He flinched as she pounded the countertop.

Momoi looks to Kagami for recognition, and Kagami, though oblivious to some sensibilities, understands that he is in dangerous territory now. "Can you believe the nerve of that guy?"

Kagami nervously laughs. "Yeah…"

Momoi assesses Kagami with her sharp eyes, and Kagami feels every bit of her scrutiny. This oddly reminds him of a certain coach and her weird habit of forcing the team to undress on the first day. He accidentally voices this out.

Momoi blushes. She is slightly embarrassed to be caught perusing Kagami's potential in basketball when she should be copying his masterful cooking skills.

She apologizes for her rude behavior earlier. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"I don't mind," he replies, "I'm used to it."

"It's just that… you guys are so alike."

Kagami slides the crust preparation to Momoi and asks, "Aomine and me?"

She nods while smiling bitterly. "You would have liked him in the past."

"I heard about him from Kuroko. He sounds nice."

"Yes…" Momoi trails off, "He was kinder… more pure..." There is a drop in her tone.

Kagami hears the difference and drops whatever he's doing to listen.

This beautiful, hardworking woman is now hunched over with something akin to guilt and anguish etched across her face, and the only guy in the room can't help but wonder how deep the scar has been engraved in Kuroko and her. These two people are wonderful people who care about Aomine, who have a solid connection with him, and here he is, simply connected by a string. He can't fathom their pain.

"Maybe if he loses," she hiccups, "he'll revert back. But…" Her volume gets louder. "He doesn't lose." She grips her hair in clumps. "Tetsu-kun," she hiccups again, "Tetsu-kun promised to win for his sake, but…" She doesn't have to say it. Kagami already knows.

"I want to save him," she confesses, "I want to do something this time. Back then…" Tears are pooling in her eyes. "I did nothing and relied on Tetsu-kun. If only… If only…" She cries over the sink, her salty tears dripping from her sculpted cheeks. The disbandment of the Generation of Miracles unfolded before her very eyes. She could have prevented this, she tells herself. She could have seen it in her calculations, and yet, she didn't.

What kind of data analyst is she?

* * *

><p>Let's get this straight. Kagami's history with women is grossly scarce.<p>

His mother forsook him in a heartbeat.

Never in a million years has he seen Alex cry. Actually he has cried in front of her more than he can count with his fingers.

Most girls in his previous schools avoid him like the plague because they judge him to be a wild delinquent due to his foreign and rough features.

The closest female interaction he has in the present is his coach, and in Kagami's eyes, she is a headstrong woman who doesn't take your bullshit.

He already made Momoi cry once.

When he sees Momoi cry for the second time, he prays for Kuroko to be his savior, but on second thought, this can lead to some harrowing misunderstandings and his unplanned murder. Life sucks in general for Kagami.

He offers Momoi a cold, damp towel as she begins to breathe evenly at his couch. "Here."

"Thank you." She accepts it and dabs her puffy eyes, trying to salvage her look. The sniffling resided, but after crying her eyes out, she's mentally exhausted.

Kagami, blunt and crass, asks, "Why do you need to save Aomine?"

Momoi peeks out from under the wet towel.

"Aomine can change, but… he'll never revert back to the Aomine you once remembered," he states. "He chose his actions and did what he did on his own…" Kagami shyly looks away. "You shouldn't blame everything on yourself, even if you were partially the blame. The same goes for Kuroko, too." He kneels down until he's at her eye level. "Aomine is also at fault, and I think we both know he has to find an answer for himself."

Kagami anxiously rubs his cheek, wondering if he's speaking gibberish. He probably is. "I can't assure you if he'll change when we beat him, but… I believe he can save himself." Kagami goes back to the kitchen to resume working on the blueberry tarts. "With you by his side, surely something good might happen, right?"

Momoi stares back in stupefaction. The block of lead in her heart still dwells in her heart, but the words chipped a piece away. She smiles after smelling the sweet fragrance of sweets.

"The same goes for you, Kagamin," she whispers. She whispered that so softly that those hopeful words went right over his head.

* * *

><p>Aside from his soul mate, Aomine waited for his true rival to appear. He waited and waited and waited until the torch he held for basketball sizzled into smoke and nothingness. It was cold and lonely at the court, and instead of sweating hot perspiration that would drip down from his forehead, he greets the chilly breeze and the gnawing sense of being broken, of being a monster in the court. He's resigned to his fate.<p>

When he met Kagami, he lit a match. He was a basketball player. He could be the one. Maybe he will be the one satiate his voracious hunger.

There was an inkling of the animal within. He can sense it. He felt the tingle in his spine when they leapt for the ball, but even his soul mate was not enough. He wanted more. He wanted his heart to soar.

Despite Imayoshi's departing words after he recruited him… despite repeating that the only one who can beat him is himself… a small part of him truly wants Kagami to be the one, the one who will eventually become his equal, just like the one Kuroko prophesized.

However, he doesn't deserve it. A jerk like him doesn't deserve that opportunity. He's not lucky enough to have Kagami as his soul mate _and _his perfect rival. It would be equivalent to winning the Jackpot, and he's smart enough to know that it's nearly impossible. It's a one-in-a-million chance.

* * *

><p>Kagami was peeling away the saran wrap covering his humungous lunch until his phone vibrated in his pocket.<p>

"Hold on, Kuroko," he calls out, "I got a text."

"Who is it from?"

Kagami wears a quizzical expression. "Weird," he retorts, "It's from Momoi."

He opens the sent message. He chokes on air because lo and behold, an image of his soul mate devouring a blueberry tart fills the screen.

There is a text that comes along with the picture, and he reads, "_Here's Dai-chain enjoying his lunch as you can see._" Kagami sees an emoticon that resembles a puffed face. "_I don't know how, but he keeps eating the ones you made!_"

He turns off his phone and makes a disgruntled face, trying to erase the image of a happy Aomine eating the scrumptious pastries.

Kuroko tries to peer over his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Kagami rips off a huge chunk of his oversized sandwich and carries on like before. Chewing is more productive than feeling giddy at this moment.

"… You're in a good mood, Kagami-kun," his friend points out.

"Stop reading me," he grumbles. He pockets the phone away, and just like the sandwich, he scarfs down his feelings.

* * *

><p>"<em>Taiga, stay at your father's place."<em>

"_He's busy. I shouldn't disturb him." He turns away, knowing that she can sniff out the lie. "Besides, the basketball court's closer here."_

_Alex sighs. "I know you are serious about training, but I think it would be beneficial for the both of you if you asked him to visit you during the holidays."_

_He looks torn. "I…"_

"Kagami-kun, it's time."

He opens his eyes. "Yeah..."

Kuroko stares at the distinct cut on Kagami's cheek with a pensive look.

As if sensing his concern, Kagami slowly gets up and says, "I was pretty shocked by Akashi, but that's all."

Compared to the insurmountable anticipation of their first official match at the Winter Cup, the graze on his cheek is minuscule. "There's no point thinking about a guy who we aren't even up against. Besides," he says with determined eyes, "My mind's all full of him."

* * *

><p>"<em>This will be our last bet."<em>

He can hear the deafening roars of the crowd and understands their cheers are not intended for his team. This is the revenge match. This is their time to shine.

_After their encounter at the hot springs, they met again. However, they are alone without Kuroko nearby. "We will face each other at the Winter Cup," Aomine says._

The adrenaline is pumping in his veins, hyping him up for this monumental battle. Too much is on the line.

"_Deal?" Aomine holds out his hand, the same hand he held for over five minutes once upon a time. He grasps it, feeling the contours of his strong grip. _

"Hey," Kagami greets.

Aomine scans Kagami's body. He likes what he sees. A corner of his lips moved up. "Hm. Looks like you've got a bit better."

Kagami mirrors his expression. "Yeah. A little bit," he hints. He continues to move forward, ignoring the fact that the two of them are the spectacle of the match due to their strings. All he cares about is Kuroko and his parting words before the match begins. After all, they're going to showcase their improvement very soon.

He breathes in and out while thinking about how far they have come.

He thinks about the gruesome training he experienced earlier and thanks Alex for sticking up for him.

He thinks about his team and thanks the camaraderie they've shown him.

He thinks about Kuroko and thanks him for being his shadow.

He thinks about Aomine and thanks him for being his rival.

It's time to stop thanking, he thinks, and time to return the favor.

Let the match commence.

"_Deal."_


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I do not own the characters. Unbetaed. I'm updating this before all Hell breaks loose on my side. Thank you so much for the support and hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter, too. **

**I would like to thank benedict-san, Mgluvsbl25, EminaRukiax, Fantita, and Aokazusei (Regarding to your question, I was planning to leave it open to the reader. There are some scenarios in my head for each ship, though.) for the reviews. You guys rock.**

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><p>He is the light, and Kuroko is the shadow.<p>

Kagami did not fully comprehend the significant importance of this metaphor, but Kuroko protects it fiercely as if it was his firstborn. He is not poetic or well-versed enough to dissect and look at the implications, but its meaning dawned upon him when he heard the same damn metaphor from Aomine's lips.

Like the spare light bulb waiting in the closet, he is just the extra, the replacement, the substitute.

Kagami should be mad, betrayed and fazed, but he isn't. Rather, he accepted this long ago at face value because these minor details don't matter anymore.

What does matter, though, is when Kuroko attempts to make another pass right in front of Aomine even though Kiyoshi and Hyuuga have not shaken off their marks. Kagami sprints, knowing he is too late, and wonders if Kuroko is too ruffled by Aomine's quick reflexes to try out this foolish stunt.

As expected, Aomine blocks Kuroko's signature pass with the palm of his hand, and Kagami sees it, the exact moment Kuroko's emotionless façade came crashing down. This is bad.

"Your effort was futile," he hears Aomine tell Kuroko.

Kagami clenches his fist tightly until his fingernails made indents on his skin. Once more the tension between the pair shuts him out, hindering him from crossing into their sphere. It is intense. It is inpenetrable, and that provokes him.

Aomine's words were a low blow, and the impact was too great for the sixth phantom man. He looked as if his own pass was jammed straight into his abdomen. Hearing his old teammate utter those despicable words crippled him.

Then the time out was called.

"Seirin High School, time out!" everyone hears.

The rest of the team scrambles over to the coach, waiting for her instructions. Kagami lightly jogs over to his dejected friend but decides to distance himself when he catches Furihata trying to tape Kuroko. However, Kuroko humbly turns down his insistence and chooses to wallow in self-pity.

Kagami stares.

"_Don't sit close to me! People will think we're friends_."

Kuroko is his first friend ever since he stepped foot into Seirin High. He is also the first friend he made who doesn't have a red string. Unlike the common populace, Kuroko was indifferent to his bare pinky.

"_There's no point in winning alone_."

Kuroko is the one who pulled him out of the dark. Kagami was walking towards the same path of the Generation of Miracles. He was becoming another replica of those legends. He almost forgot about teamwork, the teamwork both Kuroko and he carefully harnessed.

This brave and willed person named Kuroko chose him out of many to be his friend, and Kagami can't help but feel proud to earn this title. This person taught him so many lessons, so much wisdom that it is inexplicable, that it is not something that can be explained in words. He has helped him on so many levels.

He lifts his head and glares at Aomine. His soul mate doesn't need saving. He isn't broken. He isn't a monster.

He is simply a cocky guy who needs to be taught a lesson.

However, Kuroko is someone who saved his ass so many times without asking for anything in return. It's his turn to do the saving. It's his turn to show Aomine what he's made of.

After all, he needs to prove that he's a worthy soul mate, right?

* * *

><p>Kagami jumps, willing to slap away the ball from Aomine's hands. However, in midair, Aomine evades him, does a 360, and dunks the ball into the hoop before Kagami can react. They landed and were met with rambunctious screams. Kagami is aghast but in a good way.<p>

His heart is pounding, and Kagami can only stare respectfully at the number five printed on Aomine's jersey.

"Amazing…" he whispers reverently.

* * *

><p>A long time ago Aomine loved bubble baths. He would splash waves, soaking everything with soapy water. He would dress himself up with the bubbles, sometimes posing as Santa Claus or some other bearded man.<p>

His love for the activity diminished shortly after one certain incident. He almost drowned.

One day he was drained, too tired to uphold his grip and sank to the bottom of the tub. His back touched the surface, and he laid there as water filled his lungs. He was not terrified. Instead of thrashing about and pleading for help, he stayed still with an inner calm, not minding if he sank further and further.

Diving into the Zone is just like that- drowning into something he loves.

He took the first plunge into the water when Kagami switched to animal instinct.

He reached the bottom of the tub when Kuroko unleashed misdirection overflow.

He felt the surface of the door to the Zone when Kagami disappeared in front of his eyes.

He pushed it open and arrived at optimum strength as the power courses through his veins. No one can stop him now, and he has Tetsu and Kagami to thank.

Kagami is really too cute to think he can challenge him. He is a hundred years too early for that. His soul mate leaves a wide opening, and he smoothly passes through him with ease and makes another shot. He is invincible; his plays are unstoppable. His blood is on fire.

I'm sorry Tetsu, he thinks. He's going to win.

* * *

><p>It was a gradual shift but a shift nonetheless.<p>

Before he met Kagami, he would chase after women who would flaunt their boobs for him. He's not as popular as the happy-go-lucky Kise, but he has admirers. A couple of them are a quick fuck, but most of them are saving their virginity for their true love since it is a traditional rule. Ideally, he would go for that route, too, but bottling up his lust is not his style. He would rather hump some stranger early than to clumsily have intercourse and fail at it with his future lover. Imagine the horror sex stories that can happen. Multiple things can go wrong. He shudders at the thought.

Then he met Kagami, and somewhere down the road, the long, silky hair he would often course his fingers through progressively turned crimson red, starting at a faint hue until it darkens into the color of fresh blood. Her voice is too high-pitched. Her eyebrows are too thin. Her body is too soft. She is suddenly not what he wants.

He wants Kagami, he realizes, and he wants him more than ever, especially now, because Kagami is in the Zone.

"I take back what I said, Kagami," he says, reeling back in the excitement bursting at the seams. "You're the best."

They clash, zipping from left to right, up and down the basketball court. Each player is a blur from their peripheral vision, and they only have eyes for each other. He does a fake. He dribbles past his legs. He shoots. He misses. He passes.

It's as if they are dancing instead of playing basketball. Each play, each move are based on reflex and agility. The spectators could barely follow the flow of their movements, but they are still captivated, enraptured by the two, and wish they would never end their fun. However, all good things must come to an end.

This is the rebound battle with their victory balancing on a thin line.

Then it all happens in slow motion.

Kiyoshi misses on purpose.

Kagami snatches the ball.

Aomine knocks it out of his hands.

Kuroko runs toward it, ready to perform his signature pass.

"_That's no good_."

Aomine is jumping, but why does it seem like Kagami is flying?

"_Hah_?"

How many years has he been waiting? How long has it been when he had so much fun?

"_Someday someone stronger than Aomine-kun will appear_."

At the brink of winning and losing, Aomine sees the outcome and pinpoints the moment when he loses.

Touou lost.

He lost.

And maybe he lost himself ever since.

"Maybe this is for the best," he tells himself after landing. He played a good game, and he lost.

"Why're you making a face as if everything had ended?" Kagami asks.

His soul mate, sticky and sweaty, has Kuroko over his shoulder, but is glancing back at Aomine.

"It has only just started," he voiced, "Let's play again. I'll be waiting for you."

Aomine scoffs.

"Stop boasting…"

* * *

><p>"So that's where you've been hiding," he hears from above.<p>

After the game, Aomine is lying in front of the stadium's steps, staring off into space with an aloof expression. Then there is Kagami, towering over him and puffing out white smoke. Aomine is mesmerized by Kagami's chest, which is rising up and down. He surmises that Kagami has been searching throughout the perimeter for him, but that could just be his imagination. Without permission, Kagami bends down and begins to lie down beside him. Their arms are inches apart.

There is a companionable silence until Kagami speaks.

"I was about to say that the stars are beautiful tonight," he says, "but I guess it's inappropriate to say so when we can't see any…"

Aomine sighs, "Go ahead and say what you need."

A gust of winter air brushed his bangs, and Kagami musters up his first sentence.

"I know what I want to wish for."

Aomine stiffens and looks at his soul mate, who is wearing a serious expression.

"You don't want to see me anymore?"

"No."

"You want your Tupperware back?"

"No. It's courtesy to return it, idiot."

"You want me to dress up in a skirt and prance around in it?"

Kagami chokes, "What the hell?"

"So… is that a yes?"

"Heck no!"

"You want my basketball shoe collection?"

"There are a million things I do not need to know," Kagami groans, "and that is one of them."

Aomine eyes Kagami carefully. He wants to make a reasonable conjecture. "Sex?"

If Kagami was eating soup at home, he would have spewed it across the table. "Wha- No- God forbid- What?" he stammers. "How did the question range from me leaving you to sex?!"

Aomine makes a remark. "A man can dream."

"I'm beginning to rethink this wish," the redhead grumbles.

"What is the wish?" Aomine pokes Kagami's side. "The suspense is killing me."

Kagami closes his eyes and sniffs away. He teases, "You know what; I'm fine if you just treat me to Maji Burger. The other wish is dumb anyway."

Aomine pokes Kagami a bit harder. He growls, "Tell me the wish."

"Nope." Kagami has been taking sass lessons from Kuroko.

Aomine rolls over and hovers over Kagami. His knees cage his prey and his arms trap Kagami's face. He has a menacing grin. "Tell me, or else."

"Or else what?" Kagami dares defiantly.

"I'll tickle you," he answers bluntly.

Kagami narrows his eyes, "Do it, and I'll eat so much and make you pay to the point that you'll end up college broke."

Aomine imitates Kagami and narrows his eyes. He puffs out a breath.

Kagami can feel the warmth on his face and finally notices the compromising position they're in, and it reminds him of why he came here in the first place. He pushes Aomine out of the way.

"Ouch! Warn me a bit-"

"Aomine..."

Aomine stops and stares at Kagami struggling to find his words. It's quite endearing to see a person who just beat him minutes ago revert to being this idiot stumbling over his words. Kagami takes a deep breath and stares back at Aomine.

"Aomine, I wish…"

He can deal with whatever Kagami pitches at him. As long as it's not rejection or something drastic like that, he can do it. There's no need to worr-

"… For you to take me out on a date," Kagami says speedily.

Never mind, Aomine sweats. Abort the ship.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I do not own the characters. Unbetaed. Hooray for Season 3 PV! Thank you everybody for the support you have given me. Just bare with me this month since finals are approaching.**

**I would like to thank dayanayaacob, Mgluvsbl25, weirdgrammar, EminaRukiax, LDK, Uta (*wink wink* yes), TezuSezu, Fantita, damons-hot-as-hell, yasnoglazz, and lisa de la sweet for the lovely reviews. You guys make me smile. **

* * *

><p>"Pause!"<p>

Aomine flings a hand at Kagami while massaging his temples, but the other is baffled by his response. "What's wrong?" he asks.

The man with the midnight blue hair rudely shushes him. "Let me process this."

"What do you mean-"

He is silenced as a finger is pushed to his lips. "There is a time and place for this romantic shit," Aomine fusses. "You have to transition to this kind of topic."

Beneath his cold finger, Kagami mumbles irritably, "I tried to mention the stars."

"Not like that,"Aomine says with an amused voice as he withdraws his finger. "So… why the sudden change of heart?" he asks curiously.

Kagami looks away and tucks his face into the collar of his shirt. His words are muffled as he says, "I gave some thought about us. After all, you've made it clear that you want me." He shuffles his hands while blatantly avoiding Aomine's searching gaze. "I haven't given you a clear response, and I'm not that kind of person who would lead you on."

Aomine waits for the verdict.

With a deep breath, the crimson-haired man continues. "You're sometimes conceited and egotistic. You frustrate me, and it's infuriating that you're better at basketball than me. Sometimes I just want to push you off of that high and mighty pedestal of yours, but…"

He slowly wraps Aomine's stringed hand with his, not minding how icy and gelid his fingers are. He takes in another deep breath.

"Those traits don't define you."

A surge of power and confidence overwhelms him. He finally turns his head, makes eye contact, and opens his mouth to say what he needs to say. "You are passionate at what you love. Sure, you're rough around the edges, but that doesn't mean you don't care." He timidly looks down at the ground. "I want to give us a chance," he murmurs.

Even though it has been days ever since he lugged Aomine back to his house, even though it has been days ever since held his hand, like a replay button, his mind replays their moment together over and over again. He was scared. He is still scared. He didn't ask to feel these butterflies in his stomach. He wanted to ignore it as long as possible and swallow down its immensity, forgetting that it ever happened.

However… isn't this what his mother did?

Just like her, he was making excuses. His mother, the string, his fears… they were all excuses in the end. This time, unlike her, he is giving this a chance. He wants to give it a chance. "I was being unfair. I'm no better than her if I ignore your existence," he says. He looks up to the broad sky devoid of stars. His nerves are haywire, and his hand begins to tremble from the nervousness.

Aomine reciprocates his nervousness with a slight squeeze. He is still silent.

Then Kagami, who is grateful for the small gesture, gives him a crooked smile. "Also, I hate to admit it," he confesses, "but you're pretty attractive."

The other man is speechless and tight-lipped, unprepared for the blood rushing to his ears. He burrows his head between his knees, unlocks their hands, and groans, "You're giving me secondhand embarrassment."

Kagami laughs. "You asked for it," he nudges.

Still burying his head between his knees, Aomine mutters, "Where do you want to go?"

"Huh?"

"For our date," he replies.

Kagami rests his cheek on his hand, his lips quirking as he organizes his jumbled thoughts. "I don't know," he replies. He looks at the headless Ahomine. "What about you?"

There is a pause.

"… I don't know."

Kagami ruffles his hair as he brainstorms. "What do couples go to in a date?" After much pondering, he snaps his fingers.

"How about the beach?" he suggests.

Aomine raises his head to give Kagami an incredulous look.

He tries very hard to not sound sarcastic. "You want to go to the beach," he slowly intones, "… on December."

There was a prolong silence.

"Shut up," Kagami mutters as he playfully shoves Aomine's annoying face away from him.

"We should postpone this for another day," Aomine decides. "Unlike me, you have more matches to play." Kagami nods to that statement. "I would be pretty pissed off if you didn't have time to practice and lost because of one date."

"Then it's settled." Kagami sluggishly gets up with his hands on his knees. "I'm going back to check up on my team if you don't mind." He wobbles like a newborn fawn, and his legs buckle under his weight. He must have exerted too much energy in the last game.

"Don't lose your balance," his soul mate teases.

"I won't," he huffs out.

To prove his point, he straightens himself out and begins walking down the steps.

He was meters away until Aomine calls out to him, "Congratulations by the way. That was a good game."

Even though he knows he can't see it, Kagami waves a goodbye with a goofy smile plastered on his face and leaves.

Along the way back to the locker room where the coach will yell his ear off, at the corner of his eye, Momoi scurries past him like a pink flash, still on the hunt for the ever elusive Aomine. Minutes later she sees her childhood friend at the same, exact place where Kagami left him.

"I finally found you!" she exclaims. "Don't go wandering off by yourself." She puts her hands on her hips. "C'mon. Let's go back to the team."

Aomine is still staring at the blank sky, the same sky Kagami was staring at earlier with an unreadable expression. "Satsuki," he says, "are you free tomorrow?"

"Well…"

"Can you go shopping with me?"

"What?" she flusters. "Y-yeah sure, but why now?"

With his arms above his head, he messes and twirls his string with his index finger. "Ah…" he contemplates, "I want new basketball shoes." Maybe he'll buy red ones to match with Kagami.

He stretches out his sore muscles, and with an air of finality, he simply says, "I want to practice."

Momoi gawks at the sudden request. She quickly recomposes herself, though, and smiles. "Sure," she cheerfully agrees, "Let's go, Dai-chan."

* * *

><p>"Tetsu better has a good reason to call me," Aomine grumbles irritably as he heads toward the basketball court his old teammate instructed him to go to.<p>

He yawns, the longest yawn he had done for a while. He did not sleep well last night. Events of his match with Seirin invaded his mind, and with the addition of Kagami into the equation, he had a sleepless night.

His thoughts were left uninterrupted until he sees a rare occurrence.

A woman who was about two heads shorter than him was outrageously bombarded with bags and boxes. On each arm was at least five shopping bags, and each bag did not look light as Aomine notices one of the bags holding a large bundle of sweaters. Not only were her arms burdened, her hands were filled. They were carrying stacks of unrelated gifts. A couple was game consoles, one was a trilogy box set, and some were unidentified presents Aomine could not name because of the wrapping. They were stacked so tall that it reached to the top of her head, and it was an incredible feat to walk down a block with that many gifts piled onto one person.

Aomine rushes over to help, unable to look away from someone in such a pitiful state.

"Let me help you," he says as he succors the woman's shaking hands by grabbing a couple boxes.

"Thank you very much," he hears. Behind the extravagant packages beholds a pretty face wearing a felt bowler hat. Most of her hair is held up by the hat, but Aomine can tell that the woman does not look much older than his coach. There is extreme gratitude written in her face, and she gracefully bows down to show her appreciation. "It seems that I overspent," she says.

"That's the biggest understatement of the year," Aomine jokes. The woman chuckles along with him.

"I apologize if I'm imposing, but do you mind if you can help me carry these to my house? It is a few blocks from here."

Aomine shrugs. Why not? "Sure," he replies. He grabs a couple more bags and follows the woman who was a couple of steps ahead of him.

"People around this area are very kind, aren't they?" the woman comments.

"You're not from here?"

"No," the woman admits. "I recently moved here, which explains why I was doing last minute Christmas shopping since I was too busy preparing for the move." The woman then turns right.

Afterwards, she questions, "Do you have plans for the holidays?"

Truthfully, there isn't much to look forward to. After making a formal visit to his relatives, he would reside back at home while his parents take off to a honeymoon suite of some sort. However, this year is different. It's different because Kagami is here.

He fondly smiles as he thinks about the person at the end of his string. "Yeah," he answers affectionately, "I do."

The woman notices the way Aomine melts into his smile. "That's a nice smile you got there, young man." She nudges him with her elbow. "Got a hot date?"

He doesn't know why, but he feels comfortable when he converses with this woman, as if she was eerily similar to someone he knows. "Yeah," he says as pink dusts his cheeks, "it's my soul mate."

If the lady's hands were free, she would have enthusiastically patted him on the back numerous times. "Congratulations," she praises.

He blushes as he thanks her. "One problem we're having," he adds, "is that we can't decide where to go for our date."

The woman turns left at the curve and intently focuses on the sidewalk. She then brightens up as if she concocted the best idea in the world.

"What about the beach?" she recommends.

Aomine could only stare at the strange woman in stunned silence for ten seconds. With the curve of his mouth, he bellows out a hearty laugh, a laugh that can be heard throughout the entire neighborhood. If only Kagami was here, he thinks.

"With this weather?" he points out.

The woman lets that sink in. If her hands were free now, she would have slapped her forehead in shame.

She laughs, "You have a good point there." She looks up to the sky once more. "Is this your first year together?"

Aomine nods.

"Then maybe you should go for simple," she advises. "When I was checking out some attractions before I moved here, one caught my eye. You have to research more about it, but there is this tradition that happens every year in this certain park. Various organizations that participated and sponsored this event would decorate one Christmas tree, and when you walk around the park, you would see them. Sometimes some bands would play around that area, and I heard that their hot chocolate is famous. Overall, it's very beautiful."

At last, they arrive at her house, and the kind woman bows once more. "Thank you so much for taking your time to help me."

"It's no problem," he says as he carefully places all of her stuff on the ground.

He's excited to finally have a lead on what to do for his date with Kagami. "Thanks for the information," he says, "I'll look into that."

The woman bids him farewell, and Aomine runs off, almost forgetting about his appointment with Tetsu. Her front door opens, and a lanky young man, who appears to be her husband, comes out to see his wife surrounded by a circle of presents.

He looks astonished. "How did you bring them here?"

The woman smiles and says, "A nice young man helped me."

"You could have called me," her husband sulks.

The woman takes off her hat and reveals a mop of shocking red hair. She combs through it and puts on an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, honey. I forgot my phone at home."

"Did you have fun?" he asks as he kisses her cheek.

"Surprisingly, I did. You should have seen the boy who helped me. He was tall, even taller than you."

"Oh, really?"

The woman hands him the Hobbit trilogy box set her daughter desired. "He looks young like a high schooler, though."

For a split second, she displayed a grim expression, a flicker of deep-rooted guilt passing by. "_He_ should be about that age by now," she whispers wistfully.

"Did you say something?" her husband asks as he picks up most of the boxes and bags.

The woman shakes her head, feeling quite silly to dwell over the past. What has been done is done; therefore, she picks up the remaining packages and brings them inside their house.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I do not own the characters. Unbetaed. Hello again! Just to let you know, you are indeed reading the right chapter. Thank you for the support you have given me, and I hope you enjoy reading this. Wish me good luck on Finals!**

**I would like to thank Sapphyre Lily (Good luck on studying!), Shirouta, Absalon95 (I told ya I would put Kagami's mommy), EminaRukiax, LDK (Hope I can breeze past through this stuff before the date =w=), lisa de la sweet, damons-hot-as-hell, Fantita, and for the awesome reviews!**

* * *

><p>He bites his chapped lips as he hesitantly moves forward into Kagami's personal space, checking for any cues if he resists. Following his lead, Kagami leans back, giving Aomine more room to come closer until his head rests on his pillow. Aomine softly caresses his cheek with the back of his hand, and Kagami sucks in a breath, mesmerized by the obvious desire in his soul mate's eyes. Aomine dips his head lower until their breaths intermingle, until their lips are only millimeters apart.<p>

He whispers with a voice as sweet as honey. "I love you."

The emotion rises in his throat, and Kagami chokes out, "I-"

He doesn't get to finish what he wanted to say because the words are stolen out of his mouth as Aomine chastely presses his lips to Kagami's. He lifts his head to look down at his one and only while coyly revealing an expression Kagami has never seen before. It was as if Kagami was struck by lightning. It was electric. It was thrilling.

He boldly cups Aomine's face with both hands and brings it closer to his face.

"More," he seductively whispers with pleading eyes.

Aomine complies, and their lips meet once again, except this time it was more sensual, more scorching than the previous one. The two part with flushed cheeks and lidded eyes.

"More," Kagami whispers again with a raspy voice.

Aomine tilts his head and recaptures his lips. Kagami closes his eyes and wraps his arms around Aomine as he allows his probing tongue to enter his mouth. The air is hot and thick, and Kagami shudders as the intense sensations spread throughout his body. His hands span Aomine's clothed back and appreciate the defined curves of his back muscles. He craves for Aomine's touch. He is starving for his love.

He widens his mouth, feeling Aomine's eagerness as he explores it with meticulous care. His heart is beating so fast that it might fly out of his chest. They separate and gasp for air, panting heavily with their chests heaving up and down. Kagami gets even more turned on when he sees the string of saliva connected between their mouths break off.

"M-more," he shakily repeats. He cranes his neck to one side and exposes the creamy skin of his neck. "More," he whispers.

Aomine follows the order and lunges for his throat, peppering the delicious skin with searing kisses. Kagami grabs the man's shirt in fistfuls and wantonly moans and is surprised to hear his lustful sounds. His mind is getting foggy, and all he can concentrate is the sharp sting of Aomine's teeth on his sensitive skin.

His moans increase when Aomine moans with him as they begin to erratically rock their hips together, trying to find a common rhythm.

He wants more. More and more and more.

Heat is building up, and Kagami is so close to fulfillment. Everything seems so perfect. So perfect. As if. He was in a…

… a dream.

Kagami wakes up to reality.

All he can hear is the light snores from the guest room. He blankly stares at the white ceiling with a glazed expression, the sleepiness still hazing his mind. He manages to shift his body to look at his left.

There's nobody there.

He turns to the other side and looks to his right, only to be greeted with empty sheets.

Then he slams his face on his pillow and tries to muffle out his exasperated groans.

In the midst of thrashing about, he stops and pales. He knows he has one. Every guy knows when he has one, but it doesn't stop him from slinking his hand down to his crotch to confirm his fears. He curses every piece of profanity he can think of into his pillow and unsuccessfully block out some memories of his latest dream. Great, he thinks bitterly. He has a boner. And Alex is sleeping in the guest room.

Fuck it, he thinks. Fuck his life.

* * *

><p>"Hurry up and get your ass here!" Alex shouts from the front door.<p>

Kagami dashes out of the bathroom with his unkempt hair and half-pulled shirt, ready to resume his training with Alex until his phone begins ringing. He picks it up without checking the caller ID.

The rumbling voice of his father greets him tiredly, "Good evening, Taiga."

Kagami stiffens. "Good morning, sir," he replies, making sure his manners are tiptop.

He can practically hear the weariness oozing from his father when he says, "I heard your voice message a few minutes ago. I hear you are having a basketball match tomorrow."

"I am," he curtly answers.

For a man who overworks himself daily to an unhealthy degree, he somehow manages to keep a lighthearted tone when he says, "As always, play your best. I'm very proud of you."

"I will…" he trails off.

He clenches the hem of his shirt. It's now or never, he tells himself, as he musters the courage to ask, "Are you coming over for the New Year's?"

The pause in the interval is enough for him to know. He has work.

"Taiga…"

Kagami knows the answer, but he still dreads it.

His father, so lost and so broken, gravely apologizes, "I'm sorry, but…"

Kagami doesn't want to hear it, which is why he interrupts him. "No," he breaks in, "I understand."

He doesn't.

"Make sure you eat," he reminds his father, "Promise me that."

"I will."

"No," he contradicts, "You need to tell your secretary after we finish talking. Okay?" He emphasizes this. He has to.

"… Yes."

The bottom of his lip quivers just slightly. Kagami forces himself to say, "Merry Christmas, Dad. And have a happy New Year."

He hangs up after hearing his father wishing him a Merry Christmas, too, and closes his eyes. Something is pounding in his head, and he doesn't know how to stop it.

He opens his eyes immediately when he feels motherly arms wrapping around him protectively, and it's Alex, squeezing him tightly with a fierce, maternal love. He understands the sentiment. He understands that she just simply want to squeeze the sadness out of him.

She mourns, "I'm sorry."

This is something he doesn't understand. "Don't be," he says. "This happens all the time."

As if it was possible, she hugs her precious student even tighter. Hearing those blasphemous words from his mouth breaks her heart each time. This shouldn't be routine. This shouldn't be something that happens all the time.

* * *

><p>When Kagami attempted his first kiss, it was with a girl at grade school who had a huge crush on him. However, she no longer had one after their teeth clacked together.<p>

His first official kiss happened at a friend's party, but this kiss wasn't significant whatsoever. He forgot who and what the person looked like. It was a sloppy, no strings attached kiss reserved only for the dogs.

If he registered into Kissing 101, he would have flunked automatically. In his past relationships, he always failed in taking the initiative despite his efforts.

One example would be the time when he leaned down to innocently give a small peck to his girlfriend's glossy, cherry-flavored lips. He made his the first move, making progress as he inches closer, only to have his plans thwarted when she moved her head for some unknown reason, and as a result, he ended up kissing her cheek. It was horribly awkward afterwards, and up to this day, he never lived that one down.

Another instance of his failure would be the time when he stayed at another ex's house. They were studying for their next math exam, and Kagami was desperate. His low test scores were proof of how much tutoring he needed from his brilliant boyfriend, who he suspects to be a genius. His boyfriend was unnaturally handsome that day, and somewhere along the way, he was emitting pheromones or whatever. Like an animal observing his prey, Kagami swooped in for their first kiss until his boyfriend's little sister precariously slammed the door open, interrupting his momentum, all for the sake of a fucking eraser.

In conclusion, first kisses are not his forte.

Ironically, Aomine has entrusted their first kiss to him, which inevitably stresses him out, and the stress got worse ever since last night's dream. The trauma of his inability to set a mood and kiss his partner paralyzes him. He knows first kisses are overrated. He knows this and chants a mantra every single time he dives into a relationship, but somewhere deep within the reserves of his romantic bone, a first kiss is sacred and must be approached with love and care.

This is why, he tells himself, this explains why he is anticipating but also dreading the day when he will kiss Aomine.

* * *

><p>Why, Kagami asks, why would anybody be awake at midnight?<p>

"Okay," he grumbles to himself, "that was a rhetorical question."

Sleep deprivation is not a good look on him. "Of course, since I'm sooo excited for the match, I can't sleep," he gripes.

"And," he hisses, "this fucking idiot ringing my fucking doorbell!"

He rips the door open, and voila, of all the assholes who would ring his doorbell, it had to be Aomine Daiki.

He was about to give the assbutt an earful until Alex, in her almost naked glory, appears at the hallway.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Unbetaed. Hello everybody! I'm back from finals, and I survived. Thank you for waiting and continue supporting this story. ****I do not own the characters, but I do own the bedtime story you will read very soon. I would like to thank my niece for fixing up some loose ends in it.**

**I would also like to thank Shirouta, Guest #1, Absalon95 (thank you and good luck with your exams), Sapphyre Lily, EminaRukiax, and Guest #2 (Actually, we're going to see some of it in bits) for the reviews. You guys are wonderful.**

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><p>While Kuroko is attempting to master his unique shooting style, he reveals some interesting information to Aomine.<p>

"Kagami-kun doesn't sleep very well on nights before our matches." He tries out his phantom shot and looks behind his shoulder at Aomine. "You should check up on him before our match against Yosen."

This piques his interest, but Aomine scowls to hide it. "Why should I?"

Kuroko drops his shooting form, turns toward Aomine, and tilts his head. "You are dating Kagami-kun, yes?"

"I think so."

Kuroko needs confirmation, so he pushes further. "You think?"

The scowl on Aomine's face deepens as a blush begins to ink his cheeks. "We are," he says begrudgingly.

"Good for you," he congratulates.

"You're not going to threaten me, are you?"

"Why would I?" He beams when his latest shot swishes. "Kagami-kun is fully capable of doing so. Besides," he chuckles as he reminisces, "You wouldn't have the heart to break his heart."

* * *

><p>Around half past nine o' clock, Aomine is stuck in the most difficult predicament of his teenage career.<p>

"Is it too late to barge into his apartment? What would be the best time?" he asks, and for the thousandth time, Satsuki whines, "Dai-chaaaaan, I need to shower!"

As usual, Aomine doesn't listen. He only listens to his insecurities.

"But what can I do to make him sleep anyway?!"

He continues to ramble on about them to his pink-haired friend for about five minutes until he realizes she hung up already.

He violently turns off his phone and carelessly drops it on the ground where his dirty laundry cushions its fall. He lies on his bed in a fetal position and creases his forehead in thought. Obviously sulking is not going to bring him answers, so he starts to list and dismiss some possibilities.

Maybe they can count sheep together. He grimaces. "Counting sheep is plain stupid." If only he can tire Kagami out by rocking his world. "But proposing sex would be a bad joke." He sighs and thinks for another alternative. "Maybe he can listen to some videos with Ben Stein in it…"

He gives it a thought until the bridge of his nose wrinkles. "Wouldn't that be cruel and unusual punishment?"

He kicks himself up and flumps back on his bed. Groaning in frustration, he questions, "What can I do?"

His eyes roam around his room for a spark of inspiration, and all hope seems lost until he spots a certain object, a diamond within this dump of a room. He leaps out and curiously crawls over to it. His eyes twinkle as he exclaims, "I got it!"

He randomly grabs a hoodie and hurriedly exits his house at the speed of light. "I'm staying over at a friend's house!" he hollers to his parents as he closes the door.

Inside his bedroom, a storybook was left on the floor.

* * *

><p>On his way to Kagami's apartment, he experiences a bad case of cold feet. Doubt pervades his mind as he ruffles his hair like a mad man. He berates to himself, "What the fuck was I thinking?" He turns around.<p>

"This is a horrible idea," he says as he readies himself to tuck his tail between his legs and go back to his house to forget none of this ever happened. However, his heart says otherwise.

A nagging thought creeps into his head.

Kagami might still be awake.

He might be up right at this minute, ruining his chances of winning in each second.

And Aomine could have prevented that.

The stubborn, blue-haired man checks his phone for the time and glowers when he doesn't like what he sees. He chucks the small device back into his pocket and stares back at the desolate street. Most should be asleep by now, but according to what Kuroko said earlier, Kagami isn't. This should be a priority, a valid reason to go see him.

He is too hard-headed to admit it, but he misses him.

He yearns to hear his voice.

He wants to validate his existence with his own eyes.

Unlike the other nights after a game, sleeping was difficult ever since the defeat because he kept rewinding back to it in an infinite loop, driving him crazy as emotions he believed to have disappeared suddenly poured out. They kept coming wave after wave.

The Kagami in his dreams pales to the real one and his heart lurches when he remembers the thrill of seeing his one true rival dunking the winning basket. It's a horrible feeling, but it's also refreshing. It's bothersome, but at the same time, it was enlightening. He holds this feeling close to his chest, and with this revived conviction, he trudges onward to Kagami's apartment.

When he reaches there, he wastes about an hour circling aimlessly around the complex. His hair is sticking out in the wrong places and looks unrefined due to his earlier fixation. Deeming it a lost cause, he figures he dawdled enough and stomps upstairs to Kagami's floor. He sizes himself up and rings the first doorbell at this ungodly hour. Then a series of ringing follows after that.

* * *

><p>Kagami has seen enough marathons of crappy American television dramas with Tatsuya to see this upcoming train wreck.<p>

He is grumpy and sore.

He does not have the patience to deal with this shit, especially with Alex, who is currently wearing less than the bare minimum in the form of flimsy underwear and a sports bra. He internally groans, not motivated enough to scold his teacher about decency at midnight.

Then here's Aomine, both ogling and glaring at her chest, and he does not like it. Not one bit.

He opens his mouth to stop this disaster, but Alex beats him to the punch.

"Taiga!" she blurts out in English as she gawks at his string, "You have a soul mate?!"

Oh yeah, he forgot to tell her the good news.

"Kagami!" Aomine roars in Japanese, "What the hell?!"

Said Kagami looks up and prays to a merciful, omnipotent being, silently begging for help. He did not sign up for this.

God, give him strength.

First things first, he grabs Aomine's sleeve before he can run away like the melodramatic, estranged character he could potentially be and yanks him inside the room before they wake up the neighbors. He closes the door and ignores his captive's protest.

He directs his attention to Alex and points at her. "You. Sleep. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

He means serious business, and Alex can tell by the tone of his voice. Slightly amused, she respects her pupil's wishes, compliantly nods, and waddles back to her room, excited to hear some answers in a few hours.

After she is out of sight and out of mind, he drags Aomine to the couch of his living room.

"What's with the cactus?"

"Shut up," he says tersely. "Sit," he orders.

His guest plops on the couch and crosses his arms. Kagami can sense the anger emitting from him.

He scoots a chair over, and that is when Aomine starts screaming.

"How could you?!" he accuses vehemently. "How can you bang a chick like her behind my ba-"

He doesn't get the chance to finish his sentence because Kagami's hands are over his mouth, not giving him a chance to ruin this relationship.

"Please listen," he says calmly.

Aomine has the urge to lick his hand but chooses not to.

While his hands are silencing Aomine, he explains, "Alex, the woman you saw earlier, is my teacher." Aomine raises his eyebrows. Kagami makes a noise of disgust. "Not like that, you pervert," he chides. "She helped me train basketball back in America ever since I was a kid. She's visiting to watch the Winter Cup right now."

He removes his hands from Aomine's mouth, and his eyes linger on his lips, immediately reminding him of last night's dreams. He looks down at the ground, trying to shake off his dazed look.

This is not the time to stare at someone's kissable lips. This is a sure sign of his lack of sleep.

He continues, "We're not dating." He clasps his hand onto Aomine's and finishes, "She's like family and the closest to a mom I will ever have. I will only see her as that forever."

In retrospect, his explanation sounds pretty unbelievable. Even he wouldn't be able to swallow all of this in if he stood in Aomine's shoes. After all, Alex is a bombshell, a man's living wet dream. Knowing his soul mate, she's his type, and she has the curves and cleavage to prove it.

Who wouldn't want a piece of her?

Aomine blinks out of his stupor. "So…" he drags out, "She's like… your mom?"

Kagami awkwardly rubs the nape of his neck. "Uh… Yeah?"

"…"

"…"

"If so," Aomine deadpans, "Your mom's hot."

This gives Kagami the incentive to flick his idiot on the forehead.

Aomine yelps as he palms the reddening mark. "What was that for?"

"You and I both know that was well-deserved."

Aomine doesn't learn his lesson and sulks.

Kagami then asks in a cautious manner, "You're not angry?"

"Should I?" Aomine responds as he slinks closer to him. "You just said she's like a mother to you. You wouldn't lie to me about that, right?" His legs entangle with Kagami's. "Unless…" he smirks as he suggestively supposes, "You're into incest."

As a result to his foolhardy words, Aomine receives a second flick to his forehead.

"Ouch!" he cries out as he nurses his forehead. "You're going to dent my skull!"

Kagami gets up from his chair. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed," he huffs, "I got worried over nothing."

Upon hearing this change in development, Aomine's ears perked up.

"Wait!" he calls out. He swerves around Kagami until they are face to face. "There's a reason why I'm here." He tugs on Kagami's arm. "Where's your room?"

"I was heading there," Kagami grouches while hobbling to his room, the sleepiness causing his imbalance.

Amused, Aomine generously slings the fatigued teen's arm around his shoulder as support and treads along. They enter Kagami's room, and he leaves him alone to tuck himself to sleep while he goes back to the living room to carry a chair inside. He places it next to the bedside and frowns when he focuses on the apparent dark bags under Kagami's eyes.

His thoughts are interrupted when he gets a face full of pillow. Kagami snickers and asks smugly, "So, why are you here?"

As a form of revenge, Aomine smacks it back to Kagami's face. He grins impishly and inclines his body closer to him. He pretends to not see the reddish hue on Kagami's cheeks and brushes his thumbs over the corner of his eyes. "You should take better care of yourself," he says as his hand travels downward, from his cheeks, to his neck, and then to his chest. He feels smug when he feels the faint quickening of Kagami's heartbeat beneath his hand and relishes the fact that only he can do this to him. He then softly pushes him back until he meets the mattress.

Aomine switches his seat to the bedside and announces, "I'm going to tell you a story."

* * *

><p>Kagami uncertainly repeats after him, "You're going… to read a story to me?"<p>

"No," Aomine scoffs in an offensive manner, "I'm going to _tell_ you a story."

There's a bored look on Kagami's face. "Why?"

"Since you are having trouble sleeping, I thought a classic fairytale would help," he reasons.

Kagami doesn't know if he should be touched or perplexed by what's going on in Aomine's head.

Bright-eyed and trembling with excitement, Aomine begins with, "I am going to tell you the story of The Blind Merchant." He flails his arms a bit to give the introduction some pizzazz.

"The Blind Merchant?" he asks.

Aomine gives Kagami a look of horror as if he just told him he quit basketball. "You don't know The Blind Merchant? Where have you been? Hiding under a rock?"

Ever since the divorce, stories were never relevant in Kagami's life.

Before his mother left, she was the main storyteller. She was the one would ramble on and on about princesses with a heart of gold and magical kingdoms. If she wasn't around, his father would read stories of heroic knights slaying beastly monsters and conquering difficult quests. However, his mother left, and along with her absence, his father stopped reading to him. The job has been entrusted to his nanny, but unlike Mary Poppins, Nanny McPhee, and other good nannies, his nanny was a terrible one. She would often dump a book at his feet and forbid him from going outside to play basketball with Tatsuya and the other kids.

Kagami looks away, embarrassed.

Aomine pats his back a tad bit condescendingly. "Maybe it's the difference in cultures," he says. "After all, I bet you're used to the other classics, like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast."

Kagami really isn't, but he doesn't say it.

Aomine then begins with what many narratives start with.

"Once upon a time…"

Kagami snorts at his exaggerated tone but listens. Maybe it won't be so bad.

* * *

><p>"Once upon a time, there once was a blind merchant who traveled and sold his goods all over the land. He followed wherever his red string took him and hoped with his big heart that he would someday meet his soul mate. Unfortunately, because of his disability, he was often robbed and bullied, and many people mocked him for thinking that his soul mate would ever love a blind man like him."<p>

Aomine smiled when he saw Kagami gripped his sheets. He had his full attention.

"One day, he was handing out some fruit to some children until he heard the most pleasant voice. It was the princess of the kingdom, and she tightly held his hand and shouted, 'My soul mate! I have found you at last!'"

Kagami snorted when Aomine tried to impersonate a girly voice.

"They talked, and the blind merchant's heart leapt for joy when he learned that the princess did not care about his loss of sight but cared about his kind heart. However, the king, her father, was in an outrage. He did not want his daughter to marry a man who would be unfit to be king, so he gave the blind merchant three impossible tasks.

First, he had to calm the ocean and receive a purple string. Second, he had to befriend the sun and receive a yellow string. After he completed these two tasks, he had to receive the black string by embracing death.'"

"What a bitch," Kagami breathes out in amazement. "How is he going to do all that?"

Aomine smiled at his childishness and replied, "I'm getting there."

"The king gave the blind merchant three days to finish, and if he were to fail, he would never see his soul mate again. Even though the tasks were daunting, the blind merchant was willing to do anything to reunite with the princess.

He set off to the ocean to do his first task. When he reached the beach, he asked the ocean politely, 'Can you please calm your waves for me?'

The ocean, however, denied his request and felt insulted by the blind merchant's bold request. In order to spite him, it replied, 'No! I will not calm my waves! My waves will crash into cliffs. More tsunamis will be created! And my winds will howl until you cannot hear anymore!'"

"Why so mean?" Kagami said aloud. Aomine shrugged. "That's why these are impossible tasks."

He continued on, "The man, not discouraged, picked out a cup from his cart, scooped up some water, and waited until the water stopped sloshing. He showed the ocean his cup. 'As you can see, I have calmed the ocean.'"

Kagami's mouth shaped itself into an O. "That's smart," he commented.

"The ocean stopped its chaotic ways and appeared before the man. 'You did not stop me!' it screeched. The man showed the ocean his cup and said, 'The water in this cup is a part of you. Since it's not moving, that means I have calmed the ocean.'

The ocean, taken aback by his cunning interpretation, accepted it and presented him the purple string. 'Take this purple string, which represents peace, and show it to the king. You have earned my respect.'

The blind merchant thanked the ocean and traveled far and wide to greet the sun."

Kagami was impressed. "But how can you befriend the sun?" he asked.

"It's relatively easy," Aomine hints. "The blind merchant asked the sun if he could be its friend. The sun cried out, 'I cannot be your friend! Many people have tried to become my friend but when they see me, they instantly run away, screaming in torture.' The sun turned the blind merchant away.

Without a faltering heart, the blind merchant persisted, 'Then that's alright!' He raised his head up to the sun with a warm smile. 'I am blind,' he said. 'I cannot see you; therefore, I cannot be hurt by you.'

'Please,' he begged, "let me be your friend.' The sun, so lonely and sad, was filled with happiness at the revelation. 'You cannot see me?" it asked, and the blind merchant nodded his head. He promised to always greet the sun every morning and occasionally have small talks. The sun, enthusiastic to finally have a friend, gave the blind merchant a yellow string.

'This is the yellow string that represents friendship. Go on now and get the string of life from death, so that you may quickly return to your princess.'"

"…"

"…"

"That's it?"

Aomine shook his head. "No, I just need some water." He got up and went to the kitchen to rehydrate, and when he got back, he saw some improvement in Kagami's condition. He rubbed his eyes and yawned but resisted the sister of death.

Speaking of death…

"So his last task is to embrace Death," Aomine resumed. "The blind merchant called out for Death numerous times, but death never came. All hope seemed lost until death appeared at his darkest moment. 'Mere mortal, why do you wish to embrace me?' it asked.

The blind merchant explained to death about meeting his soul mate and the king's impossible tasks. Death understood but proposed instead, 'I have a better deal, human. If you give me your red string, I will grant you immortality.'

Even though it was tempting, the blind merchant denied the offer in a heartbeat. 'Without my red string, I wouldn't have met the beautiful princess. She accepted me despite my faults, and I love her despite her faults.' The merchant bravely stood up to Death. 'I will gladly embrace you and turn down immortality for a lifetime with my soul mate.'

Death was surprised to see such an unselfish human, so Death decided to make another deal. 'I do not wish to kill a man with such virtue,' it said. 'So I will make you a deal. If you give me a bottle of sunshine and an item from the deepest parts of the sea, I shall embrace you, and you shall live.'

The blind merchant smiled and said, 'That's simple.'"

Kagami smirked. "I see where this is going."

Aomine gestured in grandeur. "The ocean appeared by his side and proclaimed, 'Behold! This is a serpent's scale from the most bottom part of the ocean!' Blessed by the water, the ocean placed it on the merchant's hand and said, 'It is now his.'

The sun radiantly shone on the blind merchant, enveloping him with light. 'This man is my good friend, and whatever he wants, I will give.' Then the sun bottled up some of its sunlight and placed it on his other hand.

Shocked, Death admitted defeat, embraced him, and gave the blind merchant the last and final string. With the three strings, he presented them to the king, to his amazement, and finally reunited with his soul mate."

He paused for dramatic effect.

"And they lived happily ever after."

* * *

><p>Kagami twists his body until he's facing Aomine. "That was nice," he mumbles.<p>

"Go to sleep, idiot," Aomine says as he combs his fingers through his course, crimson hair. "You have a big day tomorrow."

He melts under Aomine's touch, feeling spoiled as his soul mate continues to scratch his head. He hums a sweet, simple lullaby and lulls himself to sleep as his eyes begin to droop. His breathing slows down, and he allows the pleasure envelop his very being, revealing a more relaxed and vulnerable side. In minutes, Kagami is snoozing like no tomorrow.

Aomine's expression softens, and he hovers over Kagami, barely an inch away from making contact. He breathes in the waft of fresh soap and moves Kagami's bangs away.

"This doesn't count," he whispers.

He gives Kagami a tender goodnight kiss on the forehead, and he softly chuckles when he sees him making a displeased face despite sleeping. "Good night, Kagami," he says.

He exits the room, decides that it's too late to go home, grabs a blanket after rummaging through the apartment, and sleeps on the couch.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I do not own the characters. Unbetaed. Hello everybody! It's me again. Good luck to all with their finals. Fortunately, I'm done, but there are last minute Christmas preparations I have to do. Thank you for the support and enjoy!**

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><p>Aomine wakes up to the aroma of bananas, baked goods, and cooked meat. He rubs his eyes, scratching out the leftover sand from his slumber, and lazily lolls his head around to get the crook out of his neck. Incoherent nonsense spills from his lips as he opens his eyes.<p>

He's confused. He's not in his room.

"Good morning, Taiga's soul mate!"

Though he has no qualms against waking up to a beautiful blonde in the morning, this is not what he expected. The woman he encountered last night is standing near the kitchen counter, wearing more than what she wore last night in the form of a pair of gray sweatpants and a striped tank top. She skips over to Aomine and pierces him with an overbearing gaze. She rubs her chin, making him more and more uncomfortable with each second.

After the evaluation, she claps her hands and squeals, "He's so cute!"

Aomine gives the strange woman a quizzical look, having difficulty translating her foreign words.

"Set up the table, Alex!" he hears from the kitchen.

Alex reverts back to Japanese. "But your soul mate's awake!" She makes her point by dragging him to the direction of Kagami's voice. He hears the crack of an egg and begins to salivate like a starving dog when he hears it sizzling.

Aomine lifts his head up to peer at what the chef is making but is unprepared to take in the heavenly sight of his boyfriend wearing a dark blue apron before him. It accentuates his curves, covering most of his clothes at the frontal view and leaving much room for the imagination. Unconsciously, Aomine makes a lewd smile and devises multiple ways to undress his soul mate, which subsequently gives him the chance to defile him.

He stops leering at that hot piece of ass, though, when Alex whistles and calls out to Kagami. "Hurry up, Taiga. Your soul mate is so hungry that he looks like he wants to eat you up."

Aomine blushes when Kagami stops concentrating on the food and turns his attention on him. "N-no I'm not," he immediately denies. He turns his head away. "Seeing him wearing that apron in such an unsexy way made me lose my appetite."

"Oh really?" Kagami stormily asks.

With a stoic expression, he plates the last omelet and hands it to Alex.

Laced with acrimony, he says, "Since you lost your appetite, I guess Alex and I have to finish-," he opens the oven door, "-this scrumptious batch of banana nut muffins all by ourselves." His tongue darts out and traces his lips, tempting Aomine even more.

Aomine widens his eyes to the size of dinner plates, amazed to see the golden, freshly baked muffins. He involuntarily waters over them and inwardly groans.

"Excuse me," Alex apologizes as she wedges in between the two boys. She opens a drawer and grabs a bunch of utensils and hands the silverware to Aomine.

"Put these on the table over there," she instructs him.

Then she turns to Kagami with mirth dancing in her eyes. She's happy to see Kagami acting like this and can't help but think that he is in good hands. It has been a while since she has seen him loosened up like this. If he's happy, she's happy.

"Forgive the poor guy. He was just being shy." She cajoles, "Besides, we both know you're adorable." Aomine snickers in the background.

The basketball player who retired years ago gives Kagami a wink and shamelessly smacks his butt. "Go on," she says. "Wash your hands. The food is getting cold."

"But the banana nut muffins-"

"-Can cool down while we eat," Alex finishes. "By the time I'm done cleaning this mess up, I better see your ass on that seat with your name on it. Do I make myself clear?"

If Kagami was a puppy, he would have folded his ears and bowed his head in resignation. "Fine," he answers.

"I like her," Aomine adds, "She's very cheeky."

Then Alex slaps Aomine's hand, which made him drop a half-eaten muffin.

"Wait for us and say thanks, ungrateful brat," she scolds.

"Never mind, I take that back."

* * *

><p>"Oh my God," Aomine moans.<p>

With the intention to tease Kagami, he puts on an erotic show by languidly licking the remaining traces of his omelet on his fork. He smirks when he sees the sheer horror written across his soul mate's face. A vein pops out as Aomine's moans increase with each bite. Unable to gape any longer, Kagami switches his attention to Alex, dreading her reaction.

Things are getting out of hand.

Even though Alex does not typically judge a book by its cover, Kagami really wants her to have a good impression of Aomine, but with the nonexistent effort Aomine is putting, it is most likely going down the drain.

Alex is at the brink of spitting her food all over the table. There are tears in her eyes. This is the most hilarious scenario she has ever seen. She covers her mouth, resisting the urge to laugh as Aomine takes another bite. He convulses in ecstasy as he savors the variety of flavors violating his taste buds.

A glass of water is passed to her, and it is a godsend.

"Here," Kagami says.

She downs it in one drink. "Thank you," she sighs with relief.

"I'm sorry about his… table manners," Kagami euphemizes.

"Nah, it's cool." Alex grins and is beaming with pride. "He's a keeper," she remarks.

Kagami chomps on an omelet. He uses the courtesy to not speak with his mouth open as an excuse to not speak. However, he owes her answers, especially since she was merciful enough to spare him these questions last night.

Alex puts her elbow on the table and rests her cheek on her hand. She asks, "So how did you two meet?"

Aomine instantly stops making obscene noises. Both boys choke on a piece of cooked kale from their omelet, with Kagami pounding on his chest and Aomine desperately grabbing the nearest glass of water. There is hacking and coughing and other gross sounds from the two idiots, so Alex gives them a minute. Once they stopped gasping for air, there is only complete silence.

Then Kagami and Aomine silently communicate each other with their eyebrows.

_You tell her, Bakagami. She's your teacher._

_No, she's clearly more interested in hearing from you, Ahomine._

_This is your house. You go first._

_No, you're the guest. You go._

_No, you._

Aomine then kicks Kagami's shin, which marks the end of their telepathic argument and commences a whole new battle. Since he has the audacity to challenge him to footsies, Kagami retaliates and twists his foot in a certain angle until his heel bumps into where his Achilles tendon is, which hurts a fucking lot.

Aomine almost bites his tongue and hisses, "Motherf-"

"So Aomine, how did you meet Kagami?" Alex interrupts while emitting an angelic aura.

Aomine swallows down what he was going to say and pales when he senses Alex's bristling impatience beneath her pleasant face. He sweats, helplessly looking at Kagami for help.

The other rolls his eyes. "He challenged me to a one-on-one," he says.

"I did not ask for your input, Taiga," Alex snaps.

He shuts up.

"I'm sorry for his rudeness," she says to Aomine. "What were you saying?"

He wasn't saying anything.

It's ridiculous.

Why should he, the great and almighty prodigy Aomine Daiki, be nervous?

He is as cool as a cucumber with an ego as big as an elephant. He was the ace of Teikou. He is the ace of Touou. He is almost unstoppable, unbeatable. Yet, here he is, sweating like crazy over the perusing eyes of a mere woman.

He knows why. He doesn't want to admit it, but he knows. It's because of Kagami. It's always about Kagami. He's experiencing these feelings because of the dawning realization that this woman means a lot to him, and it's weird, feeling these feelings, because he never expected that they would come with the package of falling in love with his soul mate.

Then he jolts as he feels calloused hands overlapping his disgusting and sweaty hands. He looks down to see Kagami slowly melding their fingers together beneath the table and quietly appreciates the seating arrangement since Alex cannot see it. He feels fortunate that she's sitting across from them because he wants this privacy and this space for the two of them.

This unknown warmth blossoms in his chest and spreads throughout his core, and he can't stop it despite his attempt to quell it down. It worsens when he sees Kagami giving him this sickening, small smile as support.

He mouths something to him, but he can't lip read. However, he instinctively knows it's supposed to be a word of encouragement.

Some people may define love as sacrificing everything to the point that their entire life revolves around their loved one. For some, they may also view it as rescuing each other from a lonely life of solitude.

Indeed, some forms of love are twisted and just plain wrong. Love can be overrated. Some relationships have been too romanticized because of this.

On the other hand, love can be fulfilling to the soul. It can be subtle or obvious, straightforward or confusing.

To Aomine, he has seen many forms of love, but what he is sharing with Kagami speaks a thousand words. He doesn't know if this moment is born out of love, but it must have been because he is feeling as if the sun is shining on him, providing him something artificial light can't.

He meekly smiles and finally answers, "I challenged him to a one-on-one, and I won. We really didn't have a great start."

Alex nods to this, not surprised since she is aware of Kagami's reluctance to conform to society's expectations. She asks, "Then why would Kagami change his mind and date you?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I'm a pretty huge dick," he says with a straight face.

Alex snorts, not surprised with his answer. She looks to Kagami. "Why don't you tell us, Taiga?"

"What else can I say?" he shrugs. "I like dicks."

She gives a light laugh, not certain if he is referring to what she initially presumed or the other interpretation.

"Aside from that," he replies seriously this time, "he grows on you."

There is a tone of affection in his words, and though his answer is too ambiguous for her taste, Alex doesn't need a full-blown confession from him. After all, actions speak louder, and boy, there are more than she can count with her fingers and toes.

Therefore, she lets him off the hook and continues to fire off more questions to Aomine.

When did you kiss?

How was your first date?

Did you have sex?

What do you like most about him?

By the time they finished their meal, Aomine's head was spinning, but he managed to answer each charged question.

"I felt like I was investigated by the police," he complains.

Kagami lets go of his hand and praises, "You've done well. This means that she likes you."

"Tch."

"He's right," Alex says as she barges into their conversation, "You've passed the test."

"Yay…" he celebrates without enthusiasm. He rests his head on his folded arms.

"So," she switches to Kagami, "Are you ready to play against Tatsuya?"

In the midst of cleaning up, Kagami freezes while holding one plate. Aomine, unnerved by the eerie silence that follows, raises his head and sees his soul mate, frozen and petrified. He has never seen him this unresponsive before.

"Kagami?"

Kagami is saved thanks to the sound of his phone ringing. He quickly recollects himself, picks out his phone from his pocket, and identifies the caller ID.

"It's Coach," he explains hastily, "I have to pick this up."

He rushes to his room, which is the better environment, and avoids Alex's question by a hair.

"What was that about?"

Alex gathers the dirty dishes and places them inside the sink.

"You don't know about Tatsuya?" she asks.

"No."

Alex begins rinsing the dishes and fishes around the kitchen for a sponge and soap. "Tatsuya is another student of mine." She finds the hidden sponge and begins soaking it with water. "Technically, he's also Kagami's brother."

"He had a brother?"

She nods while scrubbing the forks and spoons. "They aren't blood brothers, but they are family nonetheless." She tosses a newly wrung towel to him. "He's going to play against Taiga in the next match."

He's in Murasakibara's team, he thinks.

"Then why did Kagami act like that earlier?"

"Taiga left America without resolving some issues," she says while he is roughly wiping the table squeaky clean.

He waits for a while longer until he hears the water stop running. Alex is drying her hands when she adds, "I don't know whose fault it is, but hopefully they can mend their relationship soon."

She opens a cabinet door and pulls out a packet of instant coffee. "Give them some time to sort things out. And please," she rips the packet open and dumps its content in her cup, "be by his side when he needs it."

Kagami returns from his phone call when Alex begins pouring hot water into her cup. He has a very sour face as if he just sucked on lemons, so Alex distracts him by mentioning his training for today, which instantly brightens his mood.

"Keep your eyes peeled for my new move, Aomine," he brags, "It'll knock your socks off."

Aomine is content with this domestic bliss. Nothing can go wrong, he thinks.

* * *

><p>He hates it when he's wrong.<p>

* * *

><p>Aomine runs with the speed of a cheetah, running away from danger with fire hot on his heels. He runs and runs and runs until his lungs start burning for oxygen and his legs take him to an abandoned park. He bends over a bench, gasping for air, and his back shudders as a gust of wind tickles the nape of his neck.<p>

He tries to push back this ugly, black feeling within him, but it's winning because deep inside the dark recesses of his mind, he knows he's not wrong. He knows he is right and Kagami is wrong.

However, all of those thoughts cease to exist when he hears a familiar voice.

"Hello there! Aren't you the young man who helped me a couple days ago?"

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><p><strong>I would like to thank Shirouta, Sapphyre Lily, Absalon95, and Fantita. You are the fuel to my drive. <strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I do not own the characters. Unbetaed. Merry belated Christmas and Happy early New Year! Sorry for the wait guys. Life tackled me to the ground, but my writing prevailed! My writing might get a tad bit slower now since my writing has finally caught up to what I was thinking in my head.**

**Please continue to support me. Thank you very much for everything. You guys are beautiful. **

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><p>When Aomine last met the woman with the bowler hat, she was carrying a mountain of gifts and presents that threatened to topple over her small frame, so when he sees a woman with hair as red as roses running up to greet him while hauling four overstuffed bags of greens and other unidentified groceries, he doesn't recognize her.<p>

"We meet again," she says while standing in front of him.

It takes him a minute or two until the light bulb springs out.

"Oh!" he gasps. "You're-!"

She gives him a Cheshire grin. "Forgot me already? I can't have you forgetting a pretty face like mines." She drops her bags with an audible plop, and Aomine scooches over to one side of the bench to give her some room.

He eyes the heap of food warily. "Why do you have so much? Are you having a party?"

"It's for dinner," the woman says indifferently while rubbing her hands together to gather some friction and heat.

Aomine looks at her with a flabbergasted expression.

"… How many children do you have?" he asks slowly.

"I have two," she replies. As if she rehearsed this every single day, she points at one of the four bags she lifted earlier and explains, "This portion is for my children and husband." She then motions toward the rest. "These are all for me."

"… You're joking, right?"

Surely she's lying, Aomine thinks, or she has a black hole for a stomach because it is not biologically possible for a woman her size to be able to consume that much food and live. He can name only one person out of all the people he has the grace to encounter who has a metabolism that fast and an appetite that big.

The woman wags her finger at him. "You shouldn't focus on a woman's weight too much," she says.

Aomine looks surprised. "How did you-"

"Your face is an open book," she answers without hearing the whole question. The woman tugs on the neck of her turtleneck over her chin. "But enough about me," she digresses.

She angles her body until it is pointed toward Aomine.

"Why were you running so frantically earlier? For a minute there, I was worried you were being chased by some hooligans."

Aomine opens his mouth, but no words are formulating. He can't speak; he is at a loss for words. The feelings he repressed begin to trickle out, slowly breaking free from his mental dam. He's bleeding emotions rather than blood. In a futile attempt, he tries to suppress them from overflowing, but the emotions continue to pour out, drowning him with a pain he wanted to avoid.

As if she sensed this, the woman who is no longer wearing a bowler hat starts to soothingly rub his arm and does a long drawn-out shush, hopefully assuaging whatever he is going through. Aomine begins to breathe more regularly and focuses on the sound of her voice and the color of her hair.

The woman speaks in a soft voice as is she was talking to a young child rather than a young man. "You don't have to tell me," she whispers.

He takes another deep breath and closes his eyes. He claws his denim jeans and continues to do so until the maddening buzzing in his head recedes, until he can hear the sound of crickets chirping in the night.

Truth be told, he doesn't know why he feels safer with this woman. He knows he should, but he is no Sherlock. He doesn't know her like the way he knows Satsuki or Kuroko.

Maybe, Aomine thinks, just maybe he can talk to someone who won't judge him.

"We had a fight," he barely chokes out.

He is quiet for a couple of seconds, using the time to recall the events that led up to his disastrous fight with Kagami.

"My soul mate and I had a fight," he says.

His tongue feels chalky and dry. He smacks his lips.

"My soul mate and I play competitive basketball," he says as he establishes the background. "An old friend of mines won in a match a couple hours ago…"

Concerning his relationship with Kise, he is unsure about it. The golden-haired idol used to admire him. He practically worshipped the soil he stepped on, but nowadays, Kise is more than just a player who respected him. Times are changing. Even though he is still unsure, somewhere past the contours of his heart, there is a fiber there that cares about his well-being.

"A player from the opposing team wanted revenge," he explains. "He was planning to hurt him, so I took matters into my own hands and stopped him."

Reason was not going to cut it for Haizaki, so he punched the slimy bastard and knocked the daylights out of him without an ounce of remorse. "My soul mate found out and got mad about it."

Kagami wasn't just mad. He was furious.

"Because if the higher-ups discovered that I was the culprit, there would be serious consequences," he says.

Although Haizaki is a sleazeball, he is not a cowardly snitch, but Kagami did not care. "He was angry at me because I was reckless in my actions, but that was the only way to handle that guy. I used to know him, and the only way to talk to him is with your fists."

This is Haizaki, for Pete's sake. What else could he do?

"My soul mate told me that I should have called for help, but it would have been too late."

Kise would have been at the hospital by then.

"I tried to tell him that I knew this guy and his violent tendencies way back in middle school, but he didn't listen."

Instead of being on the same page, Kagami directed the tip of the blame at him.

"All of a sudden, I'm the one at fault. I'm the one who didn't trust enough to ask for help. I'm the one who's being the idiot." The volume of his voice increases with each word, and his frustration continues to climb with it.

He understands. He knows about his misgivings. He knows about the irreversible damage in the past, but the time to lament over it has expired. He keeps on moving. He continues to keep calm and carry on, which is why Kagami went too far.

He overstepped his boundaries. Aomine shouldn't shoulder all of this baggage. Nothing can justify Kagami's reasons to mention his Teikou days.

"I got angry, so I yelled back at him," he says with a dour look.

He did more than spat a couple of curses. He is brutal with his lashing tongue, and he strikes directly at the vital points cold-heartedly.

Aomine breathes in a rattled breath. "In the past, I blocked out everyone and everything by putting myself in a bubble, centering only on me and me alone. My soul mate knew about my history and used it against me, so I fought fire with fire."

He doesn't know how. He doesn't know when, but Himuro's name spilled from Aomine's lips. More harmful words spilled from his lips, from the ring on Kagami's neck to his aversion of uncomfortable subjects, and this is no easy spill. There is no absorbent towel to wipe away the words clean. They make their indelible mark, and the dark stains he left are visible.

"I hurt him. Not physically, but I still hurt him," he says, "I ran away. Some words should have been left unsaid, but I was so angry and sad and…"

Aomine grinds his teeth and recalls the memory of Kagami clutching his ring tightly with a betrayed look on his face. He bends down and stares at his empty hands. "Why am I the bad guy here?"

"Wow," the woman finally speaks, "That's rough."

"That's it?" Aomine asks incredulously.

The woman shrugs. "I'm not exactly the best person to ask for relationship advice."

Aomine covers his eyes as if he can't believe he's hearing this from an adult. "This is what I get when I try to reach out for help," he mumbles to himself.

The woman cups her hands and puts them over her mouth. She releases a breath of hot air, with some escaping as cloudy white puffs in the air. She pensively looks up to the sky.

"You shouldn't have run away back there."

"I know," he grumbles.

"You're not the bad guy," she says.

There is a glint of hope in Aomine's eyes. "I know, right?"

"But you're also not the winner of this fight."

Aomine tilts his head. "Huh?"

The strange woman gives him a knowing smile. She confesses, "I ran away from my soul mate once." She rocks back and forth, nodding to herself. "I never returned. We never fought. Not once. Not even when we were married."

Aomine is not connecting the dots between her past and his current situation.

"Wow… Um… That's rough," he cautiously says.

It sounds pretty insensitive, but that is the best he can do. The woman softly laughs since she said the same exact thing a few moments ago.

"As you can see, I'm inexperienced when it comes to lovers' spats with your soul mate, but I do have experience with a lover in general."

She continues, "In a basketball game, there is a loser and a winner, but in a fight between lovers, that nonsense goes out of the window."

Aomine slowly processes the logic in his jumbled mind.

"Both of you can decide if this fight will end with a winner and a loser, but at the end, it's pointless. Before you know it, it's too late to realize the mistake."

Aomine wonders if the woman is telling this to herself rather than him.

"I'm not some love guru or whatever, but… maybe you should talk with your soul mate about how you feel. Also try and listen to what your soul mate has to say. At least find some common ground, or to some degree, agree that you guys disagree with each other."

Aomine nods. He can understand that to some extent.

She gives him a comforting grip on his shoulder. "It'll be alright. There bounds to be some bumps on the road when you're in a relationship, but it's an adventure worth venturing. These obstacles only serve to make you stronger, not only as a lover but also as a person."

Her smile then turns bitter, as bitter as hot, black coffee. "I wish someone had told me this a long time ago."

Aomine is about to ask her what she means by that until he sees a shadowy figure jogging towards them. He can hear the sound of the person's soles slapping against the pavement, and it gets louder and louder as the distance between them shortens. The woman notices this, too, and turns around. Aomine stands up and recognition dawns on his face. His heart hammers against his chest, and he doesn't know if he should feel apprehension or relief for their next encounter to come so soon.

Kagami's heart is also hammering but for a completely different reason.

The woman taps on Aomine's arm excitedly. "Is that your soul mate?" she asks.

"Yeah…" he answers dumbly. His eyes redirect themselves to Kagami's running form, and despite how many times he sees him, Kagami never fails to take his breath away.

Even though he is taking his sweet time drinking in his boyfriend's athletic body, the woman denies him that right.

She hits his back, which makes him stumble forward.

"Go to him," she whispers feverishly, "Now's your chance!"

Aomine nods and sets his jaw. He musters his courage and makes his first step.

However, it falters when he sees Kagami freeze like a deer in headlights, and Aomine halts. He's never seen Kagami in this panicky state before, not even when Himuro Tatsuya was mentioned. There is a pang in his chest when he see Kagami stepping backwards, shaking his head with something akin to dread written in his face. He looks pale, as if he has seen a ghost.

"Is something wrong?" the woman asks worriedly.

Aomine couldn't respond because without warning, Kagami turns on his heel and runs away, and Aomine, confused as hell, gives chase.

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><p><strong>I would like to thank LDK, Sapphyre Lily, Absalon95, Fantita, arya304, and Shirouta for the reviews. I continue to take them into heart, and thank you for helping me write better. <strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Unbetaed. I do not own the characters. Hello everybody! This is the first chapter of the new year. I can't believe I almost have 100 reviews. At the beginning, I never thought I would get this far. Thank you very much for supporting me. Hopefully you will support me this year, too. **

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><p>"Shut up!"<p>

Tensions are rolling. Their chests are coiling.

Aomine runs away, leaving Kagami to listlessly stare at Aomine's evanescing figure. It slowly fades away into the crowd, and Kagami, drained from the fight and his match against Yosen, leans back against a nearby brick road and slowly slides down until his butt touches the ground. He wraps his arms around himself and curls up like a pill bug.

A minute later Kagami hears, "Hey, are you hurt?"

He peers from his arms to see a lanky young man with long lavender locks staring back at him. The man, who is wearing at least three different scarves and black fuzzy earmuffs, has squat down to inspect him.

There are a couple of small businesses surrounding them, but the area is lacking liveliness and shoppers tonight. Fortunately it was not busy since it gave Kagami the freedom to yell at the top of lungs earlier.

His voice comes out raspy as if he hasn't drunk water in several hours when he weakly says, "No."

The young man persists, "Then why are you on the ground?"

"Leave me alone," Kagami grouses, "You don't even know me."

Something about the man and his bored expression ticks him off, but maybe it's leftovers from the argument. The man surprises him by boldly putting his hand on his forehead and states, "At least you're not sick."

He leans over and sniffs him like a dog. "You're not drunk either," he adds.

Then he thumbs Kagami's forked eyebrows with a look of childish wonder, which makes Kagami even more troubled. "Cool," he whispers reverently as he continues to fawn over them.

Losing his patience, Kagami swats his hand away while baring his teeth. "Quit it," he growls.

"Kagamicchi?"

Behind the man with the lavender hair and an abhorrent fashion sense is Kise and Murasakibara. As always, Kise arrives with his bubbly charm and sparkly personality despite the underlying layer Kagami is sure he will see in action tomorrow. Murasakibara is by his side and is finishing up devouring a snack while rummaging through his plastic bag full of colorful snacks.

"Hey you," he says as he looks down at Kagami the same way he would look at an ant, "Why are you bothering my older brother?"

Kagami suddenly stands up, failing to maintain a composed face. He should have known this man was off by the garish color of his hair; however, he only assumed that it was a rising trend among people these days, dyeing their hair flashy neon colors and whatnot.

Then he hotly exclaims, "He's your brother?!"

Murasakibara's older sibling leisurely takes his time to get up and gives him a broad grin. "Yup," he replies cordially, "That's me."

"Kagamicchi," Kise butts in, "Are you alright? You were holding your stomach tightly."

He demonstrates this by embracing his body in a dramatic fashion and bends himself at an odd angle. Kagami couldn't help but twitch his mouth because he is pretty sure he did not look like a cheerleader routine.

The peppy blonde invades his space and says in a concerned voice, "We came over as soon as possible to check if you were hurt. Though I am very excited to play against Kurokocchi, it would make me awfully sad that I couldn't play my revenge match against you."

"Seriously," Kagami sighs as he back away from Kise's clingy paws, "How do you say those embarrassing words?" He turns his head away as he assures the three, "I'm fine."

He really is as long as he ignores the throbbing of his heart and the recurring echoes of the fight in his head.

Observant enough to read the heavy atmosphere, Kise changes his initial question and asks an innocuous question. "Why are you here, Kagamicchi? Are you doing last minute Christmas shopping?"

Like a child who has been caught red-handed, Kagami wears a crestfallen face and sullenly stares down at the ground.

"No…" he answers hesitantly.

Silence would have been the better answer, but it would also be the unacceptable one. In contrast to Kagami's melancholic mood, Kise lights up and smiles expectantly. With the anticipation of a dog waiting for its owner, Kise closes in on him.

"Did you find a Christmas present for Aominecchi?" he asks.

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><p>Even though it does not seem like it, Kise is glad to see Aomine with Kagami from the bottom of his heart. Aomine was the man who impelled him to start playing basketball. He was his muse, his inspiration, and Kise wants nothing but the best for this man. It is befitting to see him hook up with Kagami, this dorky but hot-blooded player who managed to not only beat him at the practice match against Seirin, but also gained his respect.<p>

At the beginning, the idol couldn't believe his ears when the news of the two reached Kaijou. Like everyone who attended to watch the first match between Touou and Seirin at the Inter High, Kise saw the obvious string dangling between the power forwards, but unlike everybody else, he simply laughed it off as a trick of the light. He covered his ears, paying no heed to the convoluted lies and gossip and continued on his merry way until the tie between Aomine and Kagami was official. When it was confirmed, he didn't know what to think. He was confused, shocked.

There were hundreds and hundreds of soul mates who ended up being friends, and that was what he envisioned for the two.

Never in his wildest dreams could he imagine them acting like domesticated lovebirds, all sappy and tied down. He went through a short period of denial, unable to fully accept their relationship. After all, how could Aomine, coolness and vulgarity combined and embodied into one man, settle down for Kagami, who many can attest is neither? At least this gave him that extra push he needed to copy Aomine's formless basketball.

Those two are definitely a mismatch as lovers, he once ardently believed. Surely they were better off rivals.

His opinion back then did not waver until one Sunday afternoon. He was hiding inside a bookstore from his fans after his last photo shoot of the day, but then he spotted a conspicuous mop of garnet hair. He immediately shelved the book he was pretending to read and rushed to the exit. After he checked both sides of the road like an upstanding citizen and made sure that the coast is clear, he skipped over to the entrance of a fast food joint to surprise his target and was about to make his presence known to Kagami, who stood at the front of the line, until he saw another familiar person at his line of vision.

It was Aomine.

Kise, quick with his feet, improvised and ducked behind a bulky man in front of him. As if good-looking men always jumped behind him like a wall, the man only shrugged with one raised eyebrow and continued to stare at the displayed menu.

With a hand on his chest, Kise breathed a sigh of relief, but once the euphoria of successfully avoiding them subsided, he felt uneasy, troubled. The realization that he hid from them on purpose did not sit right with him.

Was it because of the awkwardness?

Was it because he was not ready to see Aomine again?

Was it because he was not ready to acknowledge their bond?

He bit his lip.

Even though their unprecedented connection bothered him, his opinion does not give him a free pass to be an ass.

He should be content to see Aomine happy. He should have congratulated him. After all, Aomine was desperate to meet his one true love back at middle school. This is the man he used to understand the most, the man he used to play one-on-one matches with, yet here he is, being an ass and not congratulating him with streamers and champagne.

Kise, with a firm resolve and a new backbone, rolled his shoulders back and forward three times. Then he lolled his head side by side, hearing the gratuitous cracking of his neck.

This was a man with the mentality of a soldier heading to the front lines. He marched away from his hiding spot, prepared to cause a huge commotion. He will do so by apologizing profusely for his cowardliness. He will land on his knees and bow down so low to the point that it could be considered groveling at their feet. He was not afraid to follow his plans to the end and was about three tables away from their table until something stopped him in his tracks.

There was no build up to it. There were no warning signs. It was only Aomine and his smile. Before his very golden eyes, Aomine, who probably has a quota to scowl at least fifty times a week, was smiling the most genuine smile he has ever seen graced upon his face. Kise blinked, gawked at how the blue-haired man almost seemed like his actual age with his softened eyes and flushed cheeks.

Kise was thrown out of the loop since his hearing was not keen enough to overhear their conversation, but he knew all of this was Kagami's doing. However, there were bits and pieces he did not understand.

He doesn't know why Aomine was smiling so openly. He will never hear of Kagami's poor retelling of the time he almost blew up his father and he back in America. He will never know about how the returnee turned on the car engine despite the horrendous fact that his father was still pumping gas in the car. He will never find out about how Kagami's father comically yanked the keys out while surviving a mini heart attack. The limited context provided for him was Aomine's silly reactions and Kagami's ridiculous gestures.

Kise stood up from his seat. This is private. That much he can tell.

He slyly left the fast food restaurant, making extra precaution to not get caught, and missed hearing about the time Aomine microwaved foil.

He doesn't regret that. He saw something better instead.

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><p>Kagami mentally slaps himself. "I fucked up," he harshly croaks.<p>

Then he literally slaps himself with both palms, basking in the sting on his cheeks. Afterwards, he wags his head, shaking off all bad thoughts. He is now ready, ready to reconcile with Aomine, and unlike Tatsuya, he will not postpone it on another date. He balls his fist and eyes the red string tied on his finger.

"Thanks Kise," he says without any explanation.

Then he looks up. "Murasakibara," he smiles, "That was a good game. Tell Tatsuya I'll see him again soon."

After those last words, he sprints onward and follows his convenient, crimson trail back to his soul mate.

No matter how dim-witted the blonde may seem, Kise can be a terrifyingly perceptive guy at times. Christmas is right around the corner, and yet Kagami has nothing to give. He is positive the boyfriend of the year award is not going to be handed to him.

Looking back at the argument, he feels stupid.

Screw the questions. Screw the misunderstandings. Screw the pain.

This bitter, rancid taste in his mouth is unbearable, and he doesn't want to end this year without Aomine. He narrowly swerves around a corner and raises his head, his heart aflutter. There is still no Aomine.

Kagami makes a sound of disapproval and jogs even faster, trusting solely on the string to lead him to where he needs to be. He searches left and right and notices that his surroundings look less like city. He is in suburban territory now.

"Dammit Aomine," he grumbles, "Why are you so far away?"

Even with his great stamina, his energy is not infinite. His fatigued limbs are starting to protest, and his breathing is getting shallower by the minute. He stops by a pole to catch his breath and wipes away the beads of sweat on his forehead. Then he zips up his jacket in order to preserve his heat.

"I should give Alex a call," he tells himself. "It's getting late."

He presses his phone against his ear with his other hand snug in his pocket and begins walking, still blindly following this string. He notifies Alex of his location and asks her about Tatsuya.

"He's doing fine," she reports. "Scuffed here and there, but they're minor."

"That's good to hear," he says. "What did you -?"

Kagami cuts himself off to stare at the lone two figures from a distance. They seem to be sitting on a park bench.

"Sorry Alex," he apologizes quickly, "I have to get going."

Not sticking around to hear for more, he hangs up and pockets his phone. One of the two is wearing a heavily padded jacket, just like the one Aomine wore, so he jogs forward without thinking twice. The anticipation begins to swell. His heart beats faster.

He wants this fight to be over.

Kagami realizes that Aomine has a companion with him, so he gets closer to inspect her until he is close enough to see her distinct features. His initial curiosity dies immediately. It withers away into dust. His mind screeches to a complete stop and begins to reel backwards. The nausea hits him like a train.

He shakes his head, pure fear overtaking his body. He knows this woman. He has seen enough of her in his lifetime, but for her, it's the opposite. Unlike her, he changed. Puberty has done its job. He is taller and stronger. Of course she doesn't recognize him. It's to be expected, so in the midst of this confusion, he runs away because it's the only rational act he can do.

He just wanted this fight to be over.

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><p>When Aomine possesses the drive and motivation to achieve a goal, he can get whatever he wants, so it doesn't matter if Kagami has a head start or not. He will reach him as swift as a coursing river. As expected, he catches up and outstretches his arms to reach for the hem of Kagami's untucked shirt, but when he grabs for it, the other dodges him and infuriatingly slips past his fingers.<p>

Aomine lunges as a last resort, not giving up without a fight.

This action causes Kagami to lose his footing, which also causes him to trip and fall onto a patch of grass but not without taking Aomine down with him. Blades of grass scatter around their clothing. Kagami scrambles to escape while Aomine is preoccupied, but Aomine senses this beforehand and buckles Kagami's legs together, which makes the trapped man face plant the ground.

"Let me go!" he grunts vehemently.

He tries to wiggle his way out but fails terrifically.

"No," Aomine presses. "Not until you tell me what happened back there."

Kagami rips out some more grass in clumps.

"I…" he starts to say but stops himself from carrying on.

He doesn't know how to start, and he says this aloud. "I don't know how to start."

Aomine releases his legs from captivity and crawls up his body. He lies down beside him and readjusts himself until he is facing him. Then he leans forward and squishes his chipmunk cheeks without warning, which causes Kagami to shiver because he was not accustomed to his frosty fingers biting into his skin.

"They're pink," he murmurs, thumbs drawing little spirals on his cheeks. "How long have you been running?"

Honestly, he doesn't know, and he was about to say so, too, until Aomine closes his eyes and lightly taps his forehead against his.

"They always let me down," he starts.

In every word he utters, Kagami can feel his breath tickling his face. He shifts himself to snuggle against his lean body. It's to listen to his voice more clearly. There are no other ulterior motives. He swears.

"They?" he asks apprehensively.

"When I needed help the most," Aomine refers back to his Teiko days, "Nobody stepped up to help… I waited…"

Ever since the awakening of his true potential, he waited for his equal. He waited for his soul mate.

"… But that person never appeared… And I was left disappointed…"

The despair broke him, so before it could destroy him completely, he chose his downfall in his own terms. He abandoned his friends and depended only on himself.

That way, there won't be any further disappointment. That way, there won't be any need for this so-called help.

Aomine opens his eyes to see Kagami's reaction, and he sees Kagami staring back at him with a solemn expression.

"She was my mother."

There was an eerie pause until Aomine snaps out of it and asks, "What?"

Kagami rolls his eyes.

"The woman you were with earlier was my mother," he clarifies. "Now that you know…" Kagami's mouth thins into a line. "Why were you with her?"

It seems that the words are still loading for Aomine because he only repeats after Kagami as if it would lessen the shock, "That woman… is your mother…"

He looks as if he choked on a grape.

Kagami tries to calm him down. "Aomine…"

"Oh my God."

"Aomine."

"Holy shit."

"Aomine."

"What. The. Fuck."

"Aomine."

"That woman-"

"Are you even listening?"

"-Is your mother?!"

"Listen to me, you idiot!"

Since yelling into his tone-deaf ears isn't going to make a difference, Kagami changes tactics and bumps his nose against Aomine's.

It works.

There is absolute silence. There is not even one peep from him.

Kagami suddenly groans and covers his face. "I feel so stupid now."

"You're not stupid."

Kagami rolls his eyes once more. "Thanks," he says, not convinced.

"You're just a dork."

Kagami glares at the cheeky grin Aomine is displaying now.

"Thanks," he says again in a more insulted tone. "If I'm a dork, then who are you?"

The man who loves basketball more than almost anything finds solace by resting his head on Kagami's chest.

"I'm your dork," he replies matter-of-factly.

"…"

"…"

"… You did not just say that."

Aomine shrugs, "You kind of walked right into that one."

Embarrassed, the man who is often compared to a tiger turns his head away, cheeks rapidly filling with color. The tips of his ears are also turning a certain hue, but it's not because of the fact that he can feel Aomine smiling through the fabric. He swears it's not.

Aomine, on the other hand, can hear his heart quickening.

As much as he would love to salaciously flirt and tease Kagami, there are more pressing matters than his lips softly pressing against someone's unknowing chest.

He clears his throat, thinking before speaking.

"Do you…"

He clears his throat again. "Do you want to talk about her?"

Kagami widens his eyes and shots back, "You don't want to know everything?"

"I do," he says, "But if now's not the time, I won't hound you. I would be a hypocrite if I did."

Instead of his lips, he presses his nose against the small indent of his chest and slowly takes in a whiff of Kagami's addictive scent. If only they can stay like this forever.

"Oh."

"Take your time," Aomine says in a lax tone.

While he waits for Kagami's answer, he lets his mind stray to more perverted thoughts. There are no gigantic breasts in the picture. He can't even produce one image of an idol spreading her legs for him in his daydream, yet he doesn't complain because he is thinking of someone better in mind, someone more real… Like the body he badly wants to dry hump now… And he should calm down his libido.

He promises he is not thinking about licking a certain someone's delectable nipples. He means it.

However, Kagami pulls him back to the realm of reality.

"Sorry," he whispers this as he massages his temples, "I – I just have a lot of mixed feelings that I got to sort out, so…"

"That's alright," Aomine whispers back.

He conveys this by wrapping his arms around him.

"Sorry," Kagami mutters.

"Don't be," Aomine speaks from experience, "It's natural to feel-"

"That sorry was meant for earlier, you know, with Haizaki and stuff," Kagami interrupts.

"Oh."

"I said things I didn't mean," he lowers his eyes in shame, "I was angry and didn't think about your feelings."

Months ago, if a time traveler told him that he would apologize first in an argument AND follow his red string to find his soul mate on the same day, he would have told that time traveler that he should go back home because he's obviously, flippantly drunk.

The same can be said for Aomine.

"I'm sorry, too," he admits, "I pushed some buttons that I shouldn't have."

Kagami ignores the vibration in his pocket and asks, "All is forgiven?" He hands out the metaphorical olive branch.

They both smile.

"All is forgiven," Aomine agrees.

"Aomine."

"Yeah?"

Uncharacteristic of Kagami, he begins to fidget. He looks tongue-tied but manages to ask out his intended request. "Can… I kiss you?"

"…"

"…"

Just like the moment they first met, the world stops spinning, and Aomine's eyes rests on Kagami's. Unlike their first encounter, they are more than strangers but a bit less than lovers.

They are soul mates, and the proof of that is the string.

"Yes," Aomine manages to rasp out. "Yes."

Their foreheads gently touch, and they gaze into each other's eyes one last time.

Kagami doesn't know what to expect. Aomine feels like he is on top of the world.

Kagami gets closer and positions himself. Aomine tilts his head to one side for a better angle.

Kagami hands slide up from Aomine's sides, to his collarbone, up his neck, and to his face until he holds his head. In turn, Aomine tantalizingly traces his spine, enjoying the different emotions passing through his face.

Their lips are now a millimeter away.

Kagami smiles and softly laughs. "Hi," he whispers.

In return, Aomine smirks back. "Hello," he says.

And then their lips meet.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I would like to thank ****Sapphyre Lily, Guest 1 (You are correct!), Shirouta (Poor Kagami), The Rayne Alchemist, Fantita (You are also correct!), Absalon95 (wink wink cough shoes next cough chapter), LDK (The secret is a long hot shower ;D), yasnoglazz (Thank you. That relaxes the pressure a lot), fallenangelsreborncall, Guest 2 (So many correct guesses!), Ao Akuma-X (Don't worry. I understand. I am flattered you reviewed me despite that it's not your native language. :D), AaliyaIronHeart, and saoirsewolf (he is an aho) for the multiple reviews. They remind me how many people care about this story, and I thank you guys from the bottom of my heart.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Unbetaed. I do not own the characters. Hello everybody! I tried to write as much as I could before the next episode airs. You have no idea how long I wanted to write this chapter. Well, now there's about 3-4 chapters left. Enjoy reading this and thank you!**

**P.S. There is mentioned MidoTaka here.**

* * *

><p>Satsuki barges into his room as if she owns it. "Dai-chan!" she calls out, "Where are those-"<p>

She doesn't finish her sentence because the words are stuck in her throat. She is surprised to see Aomine wide awake, mindlessly staring at the window instead of cocooning himself like a burrito as usual.

"Don't mind him. He's been like that since last night."

Satsuki jerks back and looks behind her shoulder to see Aomine's mother carrying a basket full of dirty laundry.

She often forgets how slick his mother's movements are. "O-oh really?" she queries.

Aomine's mother cranes her head towards a closet. "If you're talking about those expensive basketball shoes he bought a couple of days ago, they're over there. You should be able to find them in a corner."

"Thank you!" she replies and hops over Aomine's belongings. She then skips over to the closet, brimming with enthusiasm.

Aomine is still unresponsive, looking absent-minded as ever but is excessively rubbing his lips as if he was applying lip balm. His mother sees this strange action and tuts disapprovingly.

She complains, "I don't know how you manage to deal with this spoiled son of mine." She dumps the clothes on the floor and begins sorting out the colors and the whites. "I should thank you for watching over him."

Satsuki preens over the comment but is humble enough to reply, "It's no big deal." Just like what the woman said, she finds an elegant box at a corner and picks it up.

"Besides, his soul mate will watch over him for me," she says.

She hears the foreboding rumbling of the washing machine when she steps out of the closet, and unbeknownst to her, there is a dark aura encircling around Aomine's mother, permeating the room like a black cloud. If this was a horror movie scene, lights would flicker on and off in a frenzy and creepy music would climb up to a screeching halt.

Her voice is dead when she says, "My son..."

The woman, thirsty for blood, stalks over to her pitiful son's room.

"… Met his soul mate..."

She pops and cracks her knuckles before she storms into the room like a tornado.

"AND HE DIDN'T TELL ME?!"

Satsuki pales and winces when she hears Aomine's unearthly scream. She hangs on to the shoes like a lifeline and evacuates as if the house was on fire.

* * *

><p>"Why did you rat me out?" Aomine whines.<p>

"Don't you dare put the blame on me," Satsuki threatens, "It's your fault for not telling your parents about Kagamin."

Aomine hisses when he experimentally pokes the region where his mother smacked him.

"I have a good reason not to," he snaps back. "Because of your carelessness, now they want to meet him."

"How is that bad?"

He looks at her straight in the eye.

"Are you kidding me?"

He shudders as his arms prickle with nervousness.

"They are going to eat him alive," he stresses. "Not only are they going to coddle him as if he's already their son-in-law, they're going to make sure he never goes home. They'll chain him to my bed post or something."

The pink-haired woman opens her mouth to protest, but knowing the Aomine family, she couldn't. After all, Aomine is overprotective for a reason. She turns pallid and covers her mouth, the terrible reality that she had just sentenced Kagami to life imprisonment sinks in. She mourns over his bleak future because Aomine's right.

"What have I done?" she squeaks out.

Aomine sighs in resignation. "It's too late now," he says. "But…" He crosses his arms behind his head. "They were going to meet sooner or later."

His friend quickly whirls her head. "You… You were going to introduce him to your parents?"

"Eventually…" he responds while scratching his ear, "And now that it has come to this, it gives me the initiative."

Satsuki immediately halts. She stops and stares at Aomine, looking at him with doe eyes. Then she locks her hands together as if in prayer and fondly smiles. "You're growing up, Dai-chan."

Aomine is taken aback and blushes, the sudden praise too much for him to process.

"Shut up," he bites back without backbone. He bares his teeth. "I don't need your input."

Satsuki is not fooled. "You're such a lover boy," she teases affectionately.

She is thrown off when Aomine roughly throws the box of basketball shoes at her.

"God, Satsuki. Shut it." He marches onward.

Her motivation is not dampened by his words, so she continues to poke fun.

"Lover boy," she sings melodiously.

"Stop saying that," he grouses.

"Nope," she says with a pop.

Aomine speeds up his pace. Satsuki catches up and sighs dreamily, "It seems that lover boy's in love."

"Sorry to break it to you," Aomine replies unapologetically, "but lover boy here is done with your shit.

"…"

"What?"

"You just admitted you're a lover boy," she points out.

"I did not."

"Yes, you did."

"Did not," he stomps.

She fights back, "Did."

"Not," he grits out.

Satsuki narrows her eyes. The urge to wring his pretty neck is strong.

"Fine," she huffs scornfully, "You win."

Someone has to be the mature adult around here.

"_Lover boy_," she accentuates.

… Or not.

Aomine grumbles and throws up his hands in surrender to appease his stubborn friend.

"Alright, alright," he says with a bored look, "Since you want me to say it so badly…"

There is a multitude of expressions Aomine has stocked up, which can range from a shit-eating grin to a puckered, sour face. This expression, however, is serious, right to its core. He looks unshakable, immobile, as if nothing can push him away from his stance. He leans down to where Satsuki can see him directly, and at that moment, the oxygen whooshed out of her body. She is hypnotized, captured by the intensity of the raw feelings in his eyes, the pure, unblemished feelings he holds for his soul mate.

There are no holes, no openings for infidelity when he tells her, without cracking, "I love Kagami."

Satsuki widens her eyes, stunned, and gawks at the display. She lifts her hand to close her slackened jaw and gulps. The heat is getting to her, so she fans her face.

"Wow, Dai-chan," she says in a breathy voice, "If you said that to Kagamin, he might implode."

Aomine glares daggers at the giggling little shit.

Ironically, he did drop that loaded bomb to Kagami right after their lips reconnected again for the umpteenth time without a care in the world.

Kissing Kagami is tasteless, and he means that in a good way, not a dull way.

The ace of Seirin is and always will be his imperfect number one, but before destiny worked its magic, his heart was fickle, jumping from one girl to the next. He performed osculation with diverse amounts of women, more than he can count with his fingers and toes combined. Some were innocent pecks. Some included sessions of heavy petting and foreplay, and in about four out of five kisses, their kisses would be flavored, sometimes tracing back to the last thing they ate to the mouthwash they gargled this morning.

He tasted mint, apple, and strawberry kisses. He lived through salty, bitter, and sweet ones, too. Yet, when he kissed Kagami's soft, supple lips, there was no aftertaste, no flavor that came with the package. It was different. It was kind, wholesome. It was alive and fulfilling, and each tender kiss held an unsaid promise. Aomine deepened each concurrent kiss while passionately nipping his bottom lip, wanting to transfer these complicated emotions into Kagami's soul, just like what he has done for him.

"I love you" is a powerful phrase, and when Aomine lovingly whispered them into his soul mate's flushed ears, his shirt was yanked forward and Kagami crashed their lips again, instantly silencing him.

He did not hear those three simple words from Kagami yet, but he is willing to wait an eternity until Kagami is ready because he understands. Maybe, just maybe, he was going too fast.

After all, in this modern world where love is easily and cheaply thrown out like pennies, its significance is hanging on a thin thread. The term "love" is losing its luster, and Aomine can't help but understand where Kagami was coming from. To him, this relationship, this love connection they inevitably share, seems too good to be true, like a dream waiting for its destruction by a mere pinch, which is why Aomine switched to butterfly kisses, wishing, praying that these kisses would erase those doubts away.

He is hopelessly and helplessly in love.

And despite what romantic fiction dictates, he did not see fireworks exploding in the background. He did not feel any sparks of electricity in the air when they kissed. They were plain and pure, and he craved for more, the burgeoning desire within him getting more and more difficult to ignore. If love could be a flavor, kissing Kagami would be a sample. If love could have a sound, Kagami's heartbeat would be its song.

* * *

><p>Aomine stretches his arms out, wondering where Satsuki is taking him, and warily eyes the package safely tucked in her arms. She is not a clumsy klutz, but money doesn't grow on trees. He searched high and low until he was satisfied with this pair.<p>

"Why are we bringing them?" he asks suspiciously.

Another important question is also, "… How did you know about them?"

Satsuki laughs and cryptically answers, "Midorin."

Aomine cocks one eyebrow. Hearing such an unpleasant name to his ears makes him frown. "Midorima? How is that guy related?"

"He called me this morning," she explains, "Told me that Virgos have the worst luck today."

Aomine is a Virgo.

"It's not much, he says, but your lucky item today is a pair of red basketball shoes."

"That horoscope nonsense means nothing to me," he criticizes. "Why is he even telling you this?"

"This is his way of thanking you, I suppose," she hums cheerfully.

Aomine's face is hilarious. It's a mixture between seeing his wrinkly grandmother naked and getting a hundred percent on his oral English test.

"Satsuki," he shakes his head.

"Satsuki, Satsuki, Satsuki," he says condescendingly, "There are many things in this world that go together. Salt and pepper, teriyaki and burgers, Kagami and me…" He points to himself, "But Midorima and thanking me does not."

"Believe it or not," she replies, "Midorin is thanking you."

Aomine scoffs. "Why would he?"

Satsuki shrugs. "I don't know the details, but somehow Kagamin got involved and now Midorin is dating Kazunari-san."

Well, this is a nice surprise.

Sure, Midorima pairing up with another human being who is not his soul mate should be a trending tag or something, but this is Takao Kazunari who is, like Kuroko, a person who does not have a red string.

He has no other words to say except, "That's amazing."

And this is an appropriate comment to say because Midorima used to be this prissy guy who had a stick wedged up his ass. He was not a risk taker and would kill himself before dipping his toe into the dating pool because he was "saving" himself for his one and only soul mate, and yet here he is now, dating Takao Kazunari of his own free will.

Aomine can't help but laugh. "Life is funny," he says wistfully.

"As long as they are happy, I don't mind," Satsuki speaks out. She glances over to Aomine. "What about you?"

"Who cares? Let him follow his heart and all of that romantic crap."

* * *

><p>When Kagami resided in Los Angeles, his memories consisted of basketball, surfing, and plum trees. The house he stayed at had a large backyard, and whenever his nanny refused to let him go out and play basketball with Alex and Tatsuya, he would frequently frolic around in his backyard. Every summer, the plum trees in it would produce a fresh abundance of plums ripe for the picking, and in every summer, he would often ignore the juicy fruit hanging from their low branches and aim for the ones at the top. His nanny's shrieks of fear would fall on death ears as he would jump for the skies, his plump fingers barely missing the plum.<p>

Just like how unattainable it is to snatch a plum for the highest branch, he cannot attain a pair of basketball shoes in this godforsaken city.

"Unbelievable," he sulks, "I can't find my shoe size anywhere."

"It's because your feet are so unnecessarily big," Kuroko passively gloats. "I was able to get mines on the first try."

The depressed teen sighs. "You're not making me feel any better."

"I was not intending to." Though he looks expressionless, Kagami knows the boy with the celeste hair is spiting him.

"Why are we friends again?"

His shadow whips out his phone and replies, "Because your personality needs to be knocked down a few pegs."

No truer words have been said by Kuroko Tetsuya.

* * *

><p>"Damn it," Kagami gasps when he sees Aomine beautifully shoot his last basket.<p>

Losing fair and square is somewhat an enlightening experience, but he's not sure if losing in a one-on-one match right before a game is considered smart. This will probably not bode well for him.

He combs back his dark crimson hair and muses if he should get his bangs clipped after the Winter Cup. Maybe he can revert back to his old haircut.

Then he sighs because it's quite disappointing to lose. It's not an official match, but it counts as a loss in his book. Even though his team came out on top through blood, sweat, and tears, his boyfriend is always one step ahead of him in terms of individual skills.

People can go ahead and spoon-feed him all the praise they want, but he still doesn't believe that he is worthy enough to be called Aomine's equal. He yearns to be on equal footing with him, but he has to work harder, become stronger because it does not simply come on a silver platter.

Too bad he doesn't know about Aomine's faith in him, about how he compensates his weaknesses for his ferocity and tremendous effort.

Said cocky bastard is currently spinning a basketball with his fine, nimble fingers, most likely bragging about his predetermined win to Kuroko and Momoi.

Dammit, Kagami thinks. He wants another go.

He marches over to the tanned man. "Rematch!" he challenges. "One more! One more time!"

His ruby eyes are aflame.

"I want those shoes," he hurriedly says as a cover-up, "And more importantly, I can't stand losing to you."

He shouts with finality, "One more match!"

Kuroko and Momoi look back at Aomine.

The navy-haired man flings his jacket over his shoulder with his poker face intact. "Don't you have to be in a match soon?"

Kagami breaks eye contact and stares at the ground.

"Don't be ridiculous," Aomine laughs, amused.

He has to play this cool. He takes a deep breath. Then he grabs the Jordan's and chucks them to Kagami's arms.

"Here," he says.

Kagami reacts fast and immediately catches them, looking stumped and confused.

Aomine sheepishly scratches the back of his head.

He races his words, "KeepThemThey'reForYou."

"What?"

"I think he's giving those shoes to you, Kagami-kun," Kuroko interrupts.

"Yup," Momoi chimes in, "It's his Christmas present for you, but since you broke your shoes-"

"-You can have them early," Aomine finishes, still avoiding Kagami's gaze.

Kagami is inaudible and tight-lipped.

If he had it his way, he would trample over to the unsuspecting Aomine, grab a fistful of his sweater, tug it closer to him, and lock their lips, ravishing him as much as possible in this given allotted time. He would brush his wispy hair with his seeking hands, occasionally pulling it and lavishly give him some tongue, swallowing up his needy moans. He would break off and give him his award-winning smile while wiping away some excess saliva from the corner of his lips. Then, if possible, he would seductively wrap his arms around Aomine's neck and tell him "Thank you" while hinting for more.

However, life is cruel.

When he walks over to Aomine to yank his sweater and kiss the living daylights out of him, instead of doing so, he accidentally slams their noses together in the process.

The aftermath is… not pretty.

Aomine is sprawled on the floor, twitching, and roaring out a string of profanity and curses. Both hands are on his nose, checking if it's bleeding or not. Kagami is no better. He is thumping his leg while running around in circles to take the freaking pain off his mind, but he cannot say the same about his crumbling pride. It's practically nonexistent.

"What the fuck was that for, Bakagami?!"

Aomine looks pissed.

To Kagami, digging a hole and burying himself in it doesn't seem like a bad idea at this rate. He'll either die of embarrassment or lack of oxygen. Whichever is quicker, and he doesn't care.

Kuroko raises his hand. "I think Kagami-kun is trying to thank you with a kiss," he explains.

His current light gives him a murderous glare and extends it to Momoi when she starts doing a happy flap.

"Idiot," he hears.

Kagami jumps and turns around. Aomine saunters over to him with a leering, predatory grin.

"Technically," he drawls huskily, "We did do an Eskimo kiss just now."

"But if you're not satisfied…" he trails off.

He then leans forward and wraps his arms around his waist. He nuzzles against Kagami's shoulder and loves how the other's arms automatically reciprocate and cling to his back. He lets his hand touch and rove over his lower back, which causes the redhead to suddenly gasp, unknowingly sensitive in that particular area. Aomine smirks. All is going according to plan and captures his lips with his. He dips Kagami lower, relishing how his nails dig through his clothes and into his skin. However, he must end this kiss and breaks off, leaving Kagami a tentative lick to his bottom lip.

"Why… Why did you stop?" Kagami asks.

Aomine chuckles and tilts his head over to their friends' bulging eyes.

"But don't worry," he promises, "There's more where that came from after you win."

Lastly, he puffs a breath into his ear. "Also, you're welcome."

* * *

><p>Food poisoning is no joke. When Aomine sees the bento Satsuki has in store for him, he dunks the insult of a bento into kingdom come and drags her to an establishment that sells good milkshakes and burgers.<p>

It is not coincidence, however, when a handsome man with long bangs and a beauty mark steps in front of him. Murasakibara the skyscraper blocks his view of Satsuki.

"Hello Aomine Daiki. My name is Himuro Tatsuya. Do you have a minute to talk?"

* * *

><p><strong>I would like to thank yasnoglazz, saoirsewolf, Sapphyre Lily (Don't stop. You may continue squealing), Julijulgran (*showers you with flowers* thanks for the love), Absalon95, AaliyaIronHeart (lol), KizunaChaos (I shall never stop the cuteness!), NX-Loveless-XN (I'll leave it to your imagination *winks), as-in-now-nah (Yes, yes you may), Guest, Fantita (Thank you), and WinterPrayerOfTheMoons (I think that will be the last we'll see her. I think that would be resolved when Kagami's an adult) for the wonderful reviews. I read them all the time. You are my dose of happiness. <strong>


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! Are you excited for the next chapter? I am! You know why? Because finally, after so many chapters, I can finally write about their date! Have a good weekend and hopefully you will receive an influx of works of your favorite pairings today. Cheers!**

**I do not own the characters. Unbetaed.**

* * *

><p>"Hey… Do you believe in fate?"<p>

* * *

><p>Though he prides over the fact that he is not a picky eater, Kagami is quite fussy over the quality of his basketball shoes. The model has to acquiesce to his tastes and should come from the store he regularly visits. He wonders if he is too selfish sometimes. Compared to a typical middle class citizen, he has the privilege to choose any pair he wants. He could buy an entire collection of designer ones, and his exorbitant spending still wouldn't be able to make a dent in his father's bank account.<p>

However, he sticks to owning a pair or two after learning a lesson or two. He doesn't like being labeled as the boy with too much money to burn.

His father is a man who is good at his job but terrible at parenting. He received positive reviews from each client he collaborated with, but Kagami would have given him the pink slip if the man was graded on how well he cared for him. Actually, he didn't. His nanny did.

His house is not a home; it is a jail. It is a place where generic, rehearsed conversations were held at the dining table, a place where all doors were barred and locked. It is a place where the floors were too cold to walk on.

Money is plentiful, but they only bought the bare minimum.

Kagami doesn't hate his old man. He doesn't harbor any ill will towards him, but he regrets how their stagnant relationship has plunged into this pitiful state.

When his father gave him his first pair of basketball shoes, the man was not present to hand them to him. Instead, he found them waiting for him at the front of his bedroom door, neatly aligned in pristine condition. There were no peals of excitement. There was only dead silence, and that is what makes this memory so sad. Their relationship seems too irreparable to salvage.

If his apartment is not his home, then what is?

One would expect the basketball court to be his home, and though that person is partially correct, it would indicate that the person can only analyze Kagami at the surface. There is, like many complex organisms, a bigger picture to this. Even though the returnee is too adamant to be honest, he embraces Seirin as his home, and in it, the basketball team as his family. His family would not be the same without Coach's cooking, Hyuuga's lectures, Kuroko's pranks, Izuki's puns, Nigou's scare tactics, and the other quirks of his happy family. Life is boring without a rowdy bunch.

Speaking of his family, he is surrounded by them right now, with some riling themselves up for their upcoming match against Kaijo despite Shuutoku's recent loss. Kuroko is dancing on the balls of his feet, and Kagami can't blame him. This is Kise they are facing after all, and with his mastery of Perfect Copy, they cannot afford to lose the momentum.

Kagami stands up to stretch his quadriceps. A couple of his teammates left the locker room to catch a breather.

He was in the midst of pulling his elbows until he hears a ghostly call.

"Kagami-kun."

By reflex, he turns around to find the perpetrator but accidentally pulls his elbow too far.

He yelps and immediately kicks a random locker as if the action could transfer all of his pain to the metal encasement.

"Be careful, Kagami-kun. You could hurt yourself."

The redhead goes ahead and glares at the guilty culprit, whose focus is not on him at all and is staring at the untouched shoes sitting on the bench instead.

"What do you want?" he grunts while gently massaging his overstretched elbow and kneading it with painstaking care.

"Coach is telling us to get ready," Kuroko answers.

Kagami spins around and notices that they are indeed the only ones left in the room; everybody else is gone. His attention darts back to the shoes, and he walks over to them while tucking in his jersey.

Kuroko moves aside and comments, "That was very nice of Aomine-kun to give them to you." He snaps his wristband on in preparation. "What are you going to give him?"

Kagami sits down next to his present and reverently touches its black laces. It has a great color scheme, he thinks, and the material is sturdy. The thought of Aomine pondering and surfing through catalogs for these shoes fills him with an unidentifiable feeling, one he cannot name.

This feeling is like stepping into the shower and allowing the scalding water to spray all over his naked back. There is an initial sting, but it eventually eases out into a good burn. The knots hidden in his back unravel themselves, and his body slowly adapts to the warmth. Somewhere along the way, he falls into a state of bliss, the sort of bliss where he can openly hum a happy tune while scrubbing his hair with shampoo.

This feeling is similar to that, but unlike a good shower, there is no way out of it. There is no outlet where he can step out and let the cold air hit him. He can't stop this feeling, and he knows that he doesn't want it to end. He's hooked to it, and measuring its weight would be impossible.

Kagami fits one foot in one shoe and slyly grins.

"That's a secret."

* * *

><p>Puzzles in general are a hassle, and the more pieces there are, the angrier Aomine gets.<p>

Himuro Tatsuya is a puzzle alright. He would be one of those large sets with 5,000 pieces or more, he thinks. Actually, scratch that. It would be three-dimensional.

He grips his tray full of teriyaki burgers and approaches the table with the two Yosen players on one side and a pink-haired girl on the other. They are not hard to miss.

He clunks his tray on the table and makes a moue, a pouting grimace. He looks to his right, and Satsuki is meekly poking her chicken salad. He looks at the purple-haired giant across from her, who is vacuuming his meal with incredible speed. The man sitting next to him, however, is daintily dipping his fries with ketchup.

From the top of his head, there are three possibilities Aomine can conjure up as to of why Kagami's brother figure is speaking with him.

One, this guy has a big brother complex. He will either threaten him with guns if he hurts one little hair on Kagami's pretty head or piss him off by telling him every bit of trivia he knows about his soul mate.

Two, he is here to proclaim his undying love for Kagami and will try to endanger their budding relationship, and Aomine needs to stop the progression of this thought and reevaluate his brain because that is just stupid.

Three, this dude might actually be friendly and hands him embarrassing photos of Kagami. Aomine really hopes it's the third choice.

Himuro finishes his lunch and licks the remaining salt off his fingers. Then he looks at Aomine straight in the eye and asks in a pleasant voice, "How's Taiga?"

Hearing him say Kagami's first name rubs him the wrong way and seeing him fingering that ring of his aggravates him even more. This conversation is off to a bad start.

Aomine rips a chunk of his burger and grunts while chewing, "Good."

"You must have played a lot of street basketball to perfect that formless shot of yours. I've seen videos of your plays, and I'm impressed. How many years have you played?"

Aomine chews with the speed of a snail, but he cannot delay his answer for long. He awkwardly swallows his food and says, "I don't know. I've been playing basketball as long as I can remember."

This man resembles Kise in a way. Not in physical characteristics, but he has a handsome face, the type women and men alike would huddle around and carelessly throw away their affections to. Another characteristic he shares with Kise is his mask. While Kise dons an effervescent, smiling mask, Himuro wears a collected and poised one, but beneath their masks is a driving force not to be dealt with. He can sense it lurking beneath those long bangs and benign face. He is not sure if it is as explosive as Kise's though.

"Stop stalling and tell me what you want," he demands without a second thought. He has made his decision and will risk provoking the dragon.

All attention is on him.

"You did not come out of your way to find me just to chat about my basketball." Aomine places his burger down and wipes his fingers with a napkin. "I don't like beating around the bush, so…"

He crosses his arms but slouches into his seat. He somehow manages to pull off an intimidating look.

"You have ten seconds to say what you need to say, or I'm leaving." This is his ultimatum.

He hears the clatter of Satsuki's fork as it falls on her plate. Murasakibara, surprisingly, is still sleeping and is lightly snoring. Himuro, unlike the two, is amused.

"As expected of Taiga's soul mate," he nods. "Someone as observant and strong-willed as you has the right to be his soul mate."

He closes his eyes and speaks as if he was reading from a script. "I was interested in meeting you. We never had a chance to formally meet."

He opens his eyes, and Aomine catches a glint.

"I'm here to tell you that I am planning to play against Kagami once more after the Winter Cup. If I win…"

He does not miss a beat.

"… I will tell Kagami that I love him."

He is not finished.

"If I lose, I will give up and drop it," he says. "What do you think about that, Aomine?"

At first, Aomine is stunned, but two can play that game. He leans forward with an indecipherable expression.

"Why wait?" he taunts. "Why not confess now?"

Himuro frowns. Aomine gives him a devilish smile.

"Are you underestimating me?"

Aomine crosses his legs and raises his chin. "No," he says, "But I think you're underestimating me."

He tugs the chained necklace dangling from Himuro's creamy neck and narrows his eyes. "What are you hoping to accomplish here?"

Unlike Kagami, when Himuro wears the ring, it looks more like a noose than a prize.

Aomine is dead serious. "If you want me to stop you, I won't."

Himuro flinches, yanks the necklace from his hands, and backs away.

"Why?" he asks.

"I don't like being manipulated by strangers," Aomine shrugs. "If it's for your own satisfaction, leave me out of it."

Himuro avoids looking at him in the eye. "How did you know?"

Aomine picks up another burger and bites off a quarter of it.

"You didn't sound convincing to me," he says with his mouth full.

The other softly laughs. "I should have worked on my acting."

"Yeah, it sucks."

Aomine continues to munch the last of his food, and for a while, there was a comfortable silence upon the four. Satsuki was rapidly texting to somebody. Murasakibara was stealing his partner's fries, and Himuro just sat there, twirling around a strand of his hair.

However, the tranquility broke when Himuro says, "I loved Taiga for a long time."

"I heard," Aomine says, dripping with sarcasm.

Then he sees the apparent regret on the raven-haired man's face. "I don't have the right to tell him my feelings," he whispers.

Aomine quirks one eyebrow and asks, "What makes you say that?"

Himuro hunches his shoulders and laughs derisively. "It's my fault that we ended up so distant," he says. "I left him bad memories. I don't deserve him."

Honestly, Aomine can't put himself in this guy's shoes. For one, their temperaments are too different. They would clash left and right, and it's not the same as the way he would clash with Kagami because he is an exception. Secondly, one of them is connected to Kagami while the other is stuck as his brother. He can make a long list of their differences, one that could unroll itself across the room, but the irony of it all is that they are envious of the other.

Aomine slams his fist on the table.

"Don't place the whole blame on yourself, you idiot," he chastises. "I don't explicitly know what happened between the two of you, but don't pull that sort of bullcrap on me."

The image of Kagami caressing his ring, freezing at the sound of this man's name is seared into his mind.

"Kagami would beat you to a pulp if he heard you say that," he spits out. "He has every right to be part of the blame, and he still feels guilty over it."

He grabs Himuro's collar and stares deep into his ash-colored eyes. "Don't you dare downgrade his feelings like that."

His voice trembles with unhinged fury. "If you want to regret this for the rest of your life, be my guest, but Kagami is more than the one that got away just because you were too chicken to talk it out."

"You're right," says Himuro.

"Yeah, I'm- wait. What?"

Himuro, the cheeky bastard, is smiling. "Has my acting improved?" he asks.

Aomine releases his grip and dumbly sits down. "You…"

"I applaud for your efforts to defend Taiga. That got a bit intense for me, though."

"What the hell?"

Himuro smiles and explains, "I apologize for my rudeness earlier. I heard many rumors about you, and based on Atsushi's descriptions of you, you seemed…" His lower lip sticks out as he tries to think of a more appropriate word. "Vulgar?" he says in a questionable fashion.

Aomine and Satsuki both have their jaws dropped.

"I was ready to persuade Taiga to drop you if you were the type of man who would throw his lovers away like used tissues," he says nonchalantly.

He then proceeds to poke his partner awake to gather his belongings, but Sleeping Beauty here is resisting.

"Not only that," he adds, "I wanted to know if you were somebody who can see his faults and could… how do you say it… call out his bullshit?" He smiles. "But now I have seen your true colors, and I like what I see."

Murasakibara is now fully functional and standing after some bribery. The two aces of Yosen are ready to return back to the gymnasium.

Before they bid their farewells, Himuro says, "I have one last thing to ask."

Himuro Tatsuya is like a puzzle. Once Aomine is finished with the puzzle, he jinxes himself and finds a few misplaced pieces. He can't read this guy.

"What?" he says, exasperated.

"If I was serious in what I said before… would you be jealous? What would you do if I actually wanted to steal Taiga from you?"

"…"

A couple of days ago, he would have been jealous. He would have submitted to the black hole engulfing his heart until there is no longer a relationship. He would have been unbearable, baring his fangs to any potential suitor. A couple of days ago are short, but that is also how long a normal fight takes. That is also how long it could take to humble his heart.

Aomine smiles and says, "Nah. I would actually feel proud."

Himuro tilts his head. "Why?"

He twiddles with his fingers, suddenly shy in what he is about to say. "Out of all the people Kagami can choose, he chose me, and that makes me feel so lucky."

The two people who love Kagami very much laughed.

"I'll come back for you if you hurt him," Himuro jokes.

Aomine rolls his eyes.

"Come visit my place sometime. I couldn't bring them all back from America, but I do have a couple of videos of Taiga when we were young."

Aomine widens his smile. "Sweet," he says, brimming with excitement.

Himuro might be a cool guy after all.

Murasakibara towers over him, groggy and disoriented but manages to say, "See you soon, Mine-chin. I'll crush you next time."

The height difference is irritating, but he stands up tall in front of his old teammate and challenges, "Try me."

Murasakibara and his soul mate walk out of the restaurant, their bodies at a safe distance.

The one with the silky violet hair childishly repeats for the thousandth time, "I told you he's not a bad guy."

Himuro sighs and agrees, and his soul mate doesn't comment when the tears begin to well up in his eyes once they reach a corner.

Aomine glances back at their retreating figures, and a thought occurred to him.

"Hey… do you believe in fate?"

His dear friend is wearing a funny face, and it's funnier when juice is spilling from her mouth like a waterfall. She instantly slaps his forehead to check his temperature, crying out in rising panic, "What are you saying?!"

"I don't have a fever, you idiot!" Aomine lifts her sleeve and drops her hand.

He sighs, "I know it's not like me to say something like that, but is it really just a coincidence that we, 'the Generation of Miracles' happened to come together at the same time?"

Satsuki doesn't move but laments over the tragedy.

"I have a feeling," he says. "We were all on the same team together. We later became enemies and then gathered at this competition."

He touches his string. "And if something like fate exists… the fact that he appeared before us…"

Maybe Aomine had it wrong. Maybe in the beginning he was running away from Kagami all along.

"Someone who has all of the qualifications to be a miracle yet didn't become one of the 'Generations of Miracles'. Has the same gift as the 'Generation of Miracles', but is the last to awaken to his talents…"

He doesn't remember which channel he watched when he found it, but months ago a documentary was playing on television. The topic was about an interesting theory. It was about how people are inherently connected to each other by invisible strings, strings that cannot be seen by the human eye.

"Then he met his fated shadow and became the true light."

He wouldn't be surprised if Kagami possessed five extra invisible strings. But at least his is the most visible, he thinks.

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><p><strong>I would like to thank <strong>**Sapphyre Lily (I am eternally grateful for your kindness *bows), saoirsewolf (yes!), youllbeinmyheart1997 (I hoped I wrote Himuro correctly), Guest (loving them updates, eh?), Fantita (My goal in life is just to embarrass these boys), Setelah Sekolah, Absalon95 (DATE), and emlaphuongvau123 (love you too. funny how my name means love) for the awesomeness. **


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Unbetaed. I do not own the characters.**

**Part 1 of the date chapter. I wished I could have added more, but I must study this week since I got sick a couple of days ago. Thank you everybody for your support. Hopefully you will enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing most of this in Starbucks. **

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><p>A stream of sunlight passes through the curtains, gradually brightening up the dark room to reveal Kagami in his natural state. His eyes flutter open, and he kicks the blankets away. He uses his arm as leverage to pick himself up and makes a pleasant sound when he hears the pops and cracks of his overused body, souvenirs from his arduous match with Rakuzan. They were a formidable enemy, and their strategies were intricate and flawless. Their commander with his all-seeing eye was ruthless in his attacks, and with the remaining Uncrowned Kings at his disposal, they were almost unstoppable. However, Seirin survived.<p>

They fought back tenfold, and miraculously, by the time the buzzer went off, they won. They became number one.

The trophies and ribbons awarded to them were overly excessive, but the team accepted them with grace, toothy grins pasted on the whole crew. It was a historical day, a day that shall forever be remembered and carved into the hearts of many, especially to the Generation of Miracles.

The competition is over, so today is the appointed day of Kagami's first official date with Aomine. After an hour of chatting over the phone, they agreed upon meeting at a movie theater to catch a film, more preferably an action-packed one, and improvise from there.

Kagami cups his hands in front of his mouth, breathes into it, and checks his breath by taking a whiff. The sharp smell of mint invades his senses.

He then steps into his closet to examine his wardrobe in hopes of arranging a suitable outfit for the date but blankly stares at the hanging row of solid colored T-shirts instead. Beneath them are drawers filled with basketball shorts, black pants for school, and a couple pairs of jeans.

The redhead mentally berates himself. "Why do I only have casual wear?" he groans.

Then he hears the doorbell and dejectedly walks over to the door. He disregards the peephole and opens a crack, revealing Momoi and Kuroko perched on his doorstep. An angel must have listened to his prayers.

"Hello Kagamin!" Momoi exclaims with enthusiasm.

"Help… me…" Kuroko gasps.

Kagami immediately snaps out of his stupor and rushes over to his shadow's side, grabbing the heaviest looking objects from his trembling arms first.

Kuroko sighs in relief. "Thank you, Kagami-kun."

The teen does not have twigs for arms per se and can carry his own load if necessary, but it was quite taxing for him to lug this much baggage around. Out of curiosity, Kagami takes a sneak peek into an unzipped bag and outright blanches when he sees a plethora of luxurious creams and gels.

"What are these for?" he sputters.

He feels his skin prickle when he hears the menacing sound of wheels rolling closer and closer.

"Kagamin," Momoi says in an innocent voice, "Can you please direct me to your bathroom?"

Her dulcet tone doesn't fool him. He turns around and sees that there are three ginormous suitcases behind her. At the corner of his eye, he also sees Kuroko haphazardly dumping body washes and combs on his coffee table, and the sight gives him a vague idea of his doomed fate. He slowly stalks away.

However, escape is barred.

The mastermind of this scheme orders him to come hither. "Come, Kagamin. It's dress up time. We're going all out."

The lilt in her voice causes him to shudder. His guardian angel did not send him helpers; it sent him demons.

An hour has passed, but it was torture. If there is one occupation he would never go for, it would be a runway model. After showcasing his booty for about the tenth time while wearing tight-fitting slacks, Momoi and Kuroko finally gave their approval with their thumbs up. Kagami stares back at his reflection and takes note of the simplistic pattern on his pants. The pinstriped pants compliment nicely with the burgundy skinny turtleneck hugging the outlines of his body.

Kuroko appears beside him and tiptoes so that he can reach his collar to fold it more neatly.

"You look very comely," he says.

"I smell like a fucking fruit," Kagami complains.

The body wash he was forced to apply in the shower has a light citrus fragrance with a crisp and pleasant spice. The subtle, rich scent redolent of oranges and lemons is not overpowering, but Kagami worries if he is trying too hard.

"Well, some of the main ingredients in the body wash are bergamot, cypress, nutmeg, and patchouli," says Kuroko.

Kagami furrows his brows. "Do you even know what half of that is?"

Kuroko shrugs in response. "I am just repeating what Momoi said."

"Tetsu-kun!"

Speak of the devil. Momoi pops in and asks, "Do you mind cleaning up the rest of the mess while I fix Kagamin's hair?"

"Sure," he replies.

Though the pat to his shoulder is supposed to be a form of encouragement, the strands on his head says otherwise.

Kuroko politely opens the door for the pink-haired woman like a chivalrous gentleman and exits the room. In Momoi's hand is a bottle of gel, and she squirts a generous amount of the cool substance on her fingers.

"Sit," she demands.

He obeys her commands, not willing to trifle with her. Momoi strolls over to him and kneels behind him. Her fingers are now meticulously coated with the styling gel, so she starts with adjusting his bangs, parting a main portion of them to the side. The sensation of her blunt nails softly grazing his skull makes him feel at ease and pampered. His tense shoulders loosen up once he figures out that Momoi is not going to scrape the first layer of his skin off. He laughs to himself. He shouldn't have let his imagination gone wild.

"What are you laughing about?"

"Nothing," he quickly replies, and then adds, "Thanks, you know, for doing all of this. You're very good at it."

His hair stylist gives a light chuckle. "You're welcome. I practiced a lot with Dai-chan whenever he had to go to formal events."

She switches from working on the fringes to the top of his head, carefully combing through his hair and creating more spikes than his usual appearance.

Uncharacteristic of Kagami, he asks in a demure voice, "Can I tell you something?"

Even though Momoi was engrossed with her masterpiece, she retracts her adventurous hands from his hair and is now all ears. If there was a mirror in front of Kagami, his reflection would reflect him bearing an unsightly wrinkle on his forehead.

He clears his throat and confesses, "I'm very nervous about this date."

The trepidation in his voice is loud and clear. Momoi echoes out her thoughts.

"Why?"

Kagami curls his toes, and then uncurls them. He murmurs, "I don't want to ruin what we have now."

Momoi stands up, and Kagami panics. Out of reflex, he braces himself for any kind of impact, but when he doesn't feel the sting of a slap or a jab to his side, he opens one eye and sees Momoi walking towards his bathroom. Then he hears the audible squeak of the faucet and the rushing sound of running tap water.

She is probably removing the gel, he deduces.

As she continues to lather and rinse the hardened product from her fingertips, Kagami slouches forward and stares at his red string.

"What makes you think that?" he hears from above.

Kagami lifts his head and sees Momoi hovering over him, slightly bent over with her hands on her hips. Her pose is reminiscent of his mentor whenever she wheedles out his innermost thoughts from him, he notes. However, she is not Alex, he reminds himself.

Even though he tells himself this, the memory still coaxes out his worries.

"Everything is going so smoothly," he accidentally blurts out.

Momoi looks concerned. The pink-haired beauty sinks down and sits adjacent to him with her legs crossed. She then experimentally reaches out and lightly strokes his hands. She nods, a gesture showing that she wants him to continue.

His breath shudders. He steels himself and says, "I'm afraid… of becoming my parents and destroying what I have with Aomine." He averts his eyes. "Or worse, he'll realize that I'm not who he wants in the end.

With his previous dates, there would be a distance he would put between them and himself.

"Sometimes I wonder when it will be the day when Aomine will abandon me after figuring out what a bore I am."

He knows it's an irrational fear, but it doesn't stop him from separating himself from his partner.

"And even though I feel sad whenever I think about Aomine ending up with another… I'm okay with that as long as he's happy… and I hate thinking like that."

He refuses to let anyone worm their way to his heart, and if this emotional obstacle was a physical one, it would be a seemingly bottomless chasm. Many have attempted to jump over to the other side, but every challenger failed. Each failure increases the mountain of insecurities he already set in his mind and hooking up a new person to his side doesn't make a difference.

Lanky arms suddenly envelop him from behind.

"Kagami-kun," he hears, "It's unlike you to degrade yourself like this."

Kagami tries to make Kuroko withdraw his hold, but it has the opposite effect.

"You've been eavesdropping," he accuses softly.

The shorter male uses his knuckles and nudges his temples as retaliation.

"I'm upset," he deadpans.

Spikes of immense pain shoot through his skull. Kagami opens his mouth to argue, but Kuroko cuts him off.

"I'm not a stranger," he says. "Please don't treat me like one. Whenever you have troubles, I'm here to listen. After all, I'm your friend, aren't I?"

Kagami opens his mouth to respond, but another pair of arms wrap around his torso, interrupting his line of thought.

"Kagamin," she muffles against his chest. "You are more than anyone Aomine can ever imagine." She heaves herself up and wipes away a tear. She sniffles, "You are doing absolutely fine."

There is an object lodged in his throat and Kagami is not sure what it is, but being sandwiched between Aomine's closest friends suffocates him with an inexplicable emotion, the same emotion he felt ever since Aomine kissed him. He is speechless beyond belief. He cannot utter a word even if he wanted to.

Though it is not real, if Aomine took the test of jumping over the chasm, that wild man would have done the unpredictable move and leap into the void without a second thought. He would have landed safely to the ground like a cat, and most likely he had inferred right from the beginning that Kagami hid in it all along. That infuriating man would strut his way over to where he is with that presumptuous swag of his. Knowing him, instead of being orthodox and singing sonnets of winning his love to him, he would have probably offered an once-in-a-lifetime one-on-one to him. Knowing himself, he would have climbed his way back to follow him.

Once he locks the door to his apartment, his clothes are rumpled from the hugs of this morning, but he doesn't mind looking a bit slovenly today. Not one bit.

* * *

><p>Aomine stumbles over his words again. This is his fourth attempt.<p>

"Wow… You… You l-look good," he says lamely.

"Thanks… Y-you too…"

Kagami is skittish, overflowing with restlessness and is glad to be aware that this warmth sprouting in his chest is a symptom of love because he would have diagnosed it as heartburn from all of those burgers he consumed this year.

His eyes wander back to Aomine, and he notices how much of a mismatch they are. Compared to Kagami's sleek attire, Aomine is wearing slim, faded black jeans, a gray drawstring hoodie with "Let's do this" at the center, and gray canvas slip on shoes. His casual gives off a boyish mien; however, his thoroughly ironed jeans and cleanly shave face doesn't slip past Kagami's radar. The redhead is touched by his subtle efforts.

He is enjoying his soul mate's flushed cheeks, but his leer is another story. Aomine is handsome no matter what he wears, but seeing what he wears in public is a sight for sore eyes.

"Let's go," he says, breaking off Aomine's trance. "We're going to be late at this rate. You said it starts at 11:50, right? It's 11:40 now."

His boyfriend furtively slinks over to his side. "Kagami," he purrs.

Kagami rolls his eyes and responds exasperatedly, "What?"

He hoped that he was becoming more immune to Aomine's courting antics, but like his answers on his recent math exam, he was wrong. Aomine embraces him and leans into his space. He gently fondles his neck with his nose and sighs in contentment when he smells his cologne.

"Stop that. It tickles," Kagami complains.

Having a knack for rousing his soul mate, Aomine then mischievously sneaks next to his ear and lustfully whispers into the outer shell of his ear, "I can't help it. You look _good_."

The low rumble of his voice along with those provocative words ignites a fire within Kagami, but he reciprocates Aomine's advances with a push forward.

"Just get the tickets," he grumbles.

Aomine gives him a sly grin.

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><p><strong>I would like to thank Guest (I can't wait for the fate speech to be animated), <strong>**Absalon95 (thank you for the chocolates. I love that stuff), Fantita (Glad to know I did ok with Himuro's characterization. He was extremely difficult), Setelah Sekolah (goshdangit my GomKagami feels are exposed! Nah, I love your rambles), EminaRukiax (ikr), Nanniih (I apologize for its shortness. I tend to update a lot slower if my chapters are longer hehe), noah03, and Ritsu22 (I'm glad you liked it) for the reviews. Without you guys, many writers would panic. hehehe**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I do not own the characters. Or the quotes. Unbetaed. **

**Happy White/Pi Day! The process of writing this was a roller coaster. I had fun, and hopefully I won't cry too much as I write the last chapter. Thank you very much for reading this chapter, and I'll see you in the next two weeks?**

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><p>Everybody makes mistakes. Aomine can attest to that statement. For example, one disastrous mistake he committed was throwing a live, slimy frog on Satsuki's head. He is not going to lie; seeing Satsuki screaming like a crazed maniac with an amphibian flopping around her head is funny as hell. However, like all mistakes, there is a consequence, and his seemingly harmless prank cost him his allowance for three months. Also his payback was in the form of Satsuki greeting him with a jar of bees in his room.<p>

Yet, he does not know what he did to deserve this mistake.

"I'm sorry sir, but the latest showing started about 45 minutes ago."

"I don't think you understand," he says, ill-humored. "I checked and I remember that the time says 11:50, not 11:05."

This cannot be happening, he groans inwardly.

"I apologize, but we cannot help you at this point. Would you like a ticket for the next showing?" Then the cashier suggests, "Or would you like to choose a different movie?"

Aomine distastefully glances up at the options listed above. The prospects are not desirable. The next movie is showing in about two hours from now, and the alternatives are not promising enough.

There is a Christmas movie. Classic, he thinks.

There is a romantic comedy. Gross, he gags.

There are two animations. He would watch it, but he's not in the mood. He wants explosions and guns firing in his ears.

The last one is a slasher. He is not into those, and he will slice off anybody's neck if they told Kagami that he is a big, fat chicken when it comes to gore and horror.

His frown deepens.

"Thanks," he mutters indignantly.

He steps out of the line and treads back to Kagami's side with his head hung low.

"Shit," he curses. How can he get the times wrong? How can he ruin their date right from the get-go?

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Aomine raises his head and sucks in a sharp breath. He momentarily forgot Kagami's current appearance and is once again dumbstruck. He knows that his soul mate is generally an attractive man, but seeing the results of what happens when Kagami puts an effort into his looks is an aesthetic to his eyes. The male is temptation and sin wrapped up with a bow.

He would love to drop compliments every minute or so to gauge his reactions, but right now he has to swallow in his disappointment and relay the bad news.

Unexpectedly, Kagami is quite chill with the mishap.

He coolly shrugs and says, "It's no big deal. There's another theater twenty minutes from here if we take the train, right?"

Aomine leans into his space, pulls him in, and leaves a chaste peck to his snowy cheek. "You're brilliant," he breathes.

Kagami promptly touches the area where he left the kiss with an unreadable expression. Aomine snorts and whips out his phone to google the times playing in the theater he mentioned. He quickly scans for their movie.

"I found it!" he exclaims excitedly. "It's going to play in thirty minutes. Let's hurry!"

With glee written in his face, he pockets his phone in a flash and extends his open hand to Kagami. His eyes are beaming with enthusiasm.

The receipient of his hand grins at the sweet gesture and grasps Aomine's hand, trusting him wholeheartedly. Kagami is not sure of what is in store for them, but that is what makes the trust between two people beautiful. Once their hands are locked and sealed, they both sprint away to the nearest train station, hands still intertwined even when they entered the bullet train.

Love has prevailed, but love can only do so much to mitigate Aomine's situation. He is done with the universe.

Imagine a college student with high aspirations and dreams. This hypothetical student is taking eighteen units this semester, and three of this student's classes are 5 unit classes. Imagine this student entering his or her calculus class, only to be met with the instructor grimly laying out last week's exam, the very same exam the student practiced for daily. This student sacrificed at least three hours of his or her free time every single day working on homework problems and visiting the tutoring center religiously ever since the student's first exam had a bold C marked at the top in glaring red. The student is more confident and searches for the exam with his or her name. The student finds it, picks the paper up, and zeroes on the grade. To the student's upmost horror, the student is graded with a shocking, fat D, which, to the student's personal standards, is a D for disappointment.

The initial sensation kicks in, and the student limply moves out of the way as a horde of students reach for their exams from the pile. By the time the lecture begins, the students is left as a husk, a shell of what the student used to be, and the expression this imaginary student is wearing is the exact expression Aomine is wearing because he screwed up big time. Again. Not once. But twice.

"It's alright Aomine," Kagami says as he hands him a rice ball from the convenience store, "We can watch the movie another time."

Aomine just wants to bash his stupid head against a brick wall, but there are none in sight. He rejects the offered snack. He has no appetite. Instead, he is angry, not at his phone, but at himself. He doesn't understand why Kagami is not angry at him.

"Why are you not angry at me?" He stands up from the bench they were sitting on and voices out, "I just wasted your time!"

He clenches his fist. "I misread my phone and took us to a theater that isn't even showing the movie we wanted to watch. Admit it, Kagami, this is the worst date you ever went to."

Kagami reaches for Aomine's arm, hoping the small action would somehow placate him. "It's alright," he repeats. "The movie theaters have the same name," he reasons. "Anybody could have messed up the locations and times."

Aomine locks his jaw. "But I checked a theater from a different city!" he insists. "Only an idiot like me would do that!"

This was his chance to prove Kagami that he made the right choice to be with him, and he blew it. He blew it up into smithereens.

However, before his mouth could spew more criticisms of his performance today, soft, glossed lips delicately press against his. Aomine widens his eyes and stares back into dark red eyes that aglow with fire. He is taken by surprise when Kagami's heated tongue licks his lips open in a smooth motion, and Aomine instantly forgets why he was unhappy in the first place as he allows his soul mate's talented tongue entrance. Their tongues danced around in harmony, stimulating the other with each passing second.

His mind is clouded over with a sensation akin to lust.

A calloused hand is placed on his neck, rubbing at all the right spots. Aomine can feel Kagami's mouth curve into a smile after his initial shiver, so he returns the favor by deepening the kiss, nipping his lover's sensual lips until they are swollen and pink. The two lovers wanted to continue their ministrations, but they both needed the oxygen. Their longing lips finally parted as they gasp in their first breath, their labored breathing audible to their ears.

"I thought you didn't like doing this in public," Aomine pants as he checks their surroundings.

"I don't," Kagami answers and lays his head on his shoulder. He inhales Aomine's scent and sighs in relief. "But a change of pace isn't so bad," he adds.

Blood rushes to the tips of their ears.

Aomine's defenses are intenerated by Kagami's words and softened into mush. He can't help but blush along with his soul mate. He embraces this change of pace and wraps his arms around his idiot, letting him listen to the sound of this thumping heart.

He distractedly strokes Kagami's hair, not minding the small pricks from the gel on it, and grumbles, "Sorry if I mess up your hair."

Kagami makes a muffled sound. "I'm not bothered by it."

He appreciates this reversed position where he can feel the vibrations along Aomine's entire body. He can feel the rumble of his voice, and he likes it. He likes this serene atmosphere.

"I'm sure Momoi won't mind," he says.

Aomine hisses and groans, "She's going to skewer me once she finds out about what happened today."

Kagami snuggles closer. "She won't," he counters.

"What makes you so sure she won't?"

Seirin's ace peeks up and smirks knowingly.

"I have an idea."

* * *

><p>"Your ideas are unconventional."<p>

"Don't be such a wet blanket."

"You're not even wearing the proper clothing for this."

Kagami huffs and swings out his leg to exhibit his feet covered in outlandish neon socks with rubber padding on the soles. They look terribly ridiculous on the power forward, but they'll look even more ridiculous on Aomine.

Kagami tosses Aomine a pair. "These are the only articles of clothing you need here," he declares.

Aomine makes an effort to pointedly stare at Kagami's tight-fitting jeans. "Those are going to rip," he comments.

"Are not," he argues back.

He shucks off his coat and removes his shoes and crams them into a small locker. Aomine still looks reluctant to slip on the gaudy socks.

"You have to wear them," Kagami says, "or you can't jump on the trampolines."

"Why are we even at a trampoline park in the first place? We're utterly surrounded by kids," he pouts.

"No we're not. I see a couple of adults."

"That's because they're watching over their kids!"

"We already paid," he says. "Stop fighting. We're going to do this."

He instantly peels off Aomine's hoodie off of him without any warning and folds it into a neat bundle before he flings it into the locker next to his.

His arm slings itself around Aomine's shoulders, causing him to lurch forward. The sudden contact startles him.

Then another arm cunningly snakes around his waist while the other stays at its rightful place. Aomine can feel Kagami leaning closer. He is so close that he can feel his enticing lips ghosting over his earlobe, and the move makes him hitch his breath.

Aomine expects teasing whispers of passion and make-out sessions to flow from his soul mate's lascivious mouth, but his expectations are too impractical for someone with Kagami's caliber.

Of course this man would recklessly go through all the trouble of using seductive body language to just breathe out, "I bet you can't beat me in dodgeball," in his ear.

Now don't get him wrong. Aomine loves a good challenge, but this is not the challenge he has in mind per se.

Oh well, he thinks, he'll take whatever he can get.

He can't wait to smack his Bakagami with a foam ball.

He then surveys the area, and beyond the vending machines, waiting tables, and trampoline arenas, a game of dodgeball is currently in progress. Balls are flying to and fro in multiple directions, kids are screaming bloody murder, and the referee is tiredly calling out the players who are out.

Kagami tugs his arm forward. "They're almost finished," he says. "Let's get in line."

The two males race across the hall to the end of the line and ended up standing next to children who are probably five times smaller than them. They stick out like a sore thumb.

There is a net of some sorts separating them from the actual game, so they observed the rest of the match. Three kids on the left-hand side are ganging up against the last remaining player on the right-hand side.

"Wow, that's overkill," Aomine comments.

Kagami grins. "Don't count her out just yet."

As if the basketball player had foreseen the outcome, a burst of will overcame the young girl, and with two balls in her two hands, she gives out a battle cry and valiantly charges forward. Her foes aimed and threw all of their ammo simultaneously, but the young girl leapt out of the gunfire before the balls could hit their target. Two more are heading her way, but she blocks them with the balls in her hands. All of the weapons she needed are now on her side. A strange glimmer glints in her eyes.

She hurls her first one and completely misses, but it was intentional. Two of the players are still focused, but one was distracted enough for her to strike the weakest link of the group. Now the three have reduced to two.

Tensions are high.

One of her enemies crouch down for a nearby ball, revenge burning in his heart, but that was the fatal flaw. The young girl dodges another ball and attacks again. Her ball did not miss.

Luck is not on her side, however, when the final player takes advantage of the situation and throws two balls toward her. The young girl narrowly misses them, but she then loses her balance in the process and falls backward. All hope seems lost, but that does not stop Kagami and Aomine from cheering her on.

"You can do it!" they scream at the top of their lungs.

As her opponent throws the finishing blow, the young girl bounces herself up at the very last second and catches the sphere with her bare hands. She grabs onto the net and raises the winning ball in her hand. The kids at the sidelines exploded in celebration, and the two teenagers joined with them.

* * *

><p>"You're going down."<p>

Aomine positions himself to strike. "I wouldn't be so sure, Kagami. After all, I did get you out."

He is referring back to their previous match of dodgeball. He got Kagami square in the face, and though that is against the rules, that counts in his book.

Kagami snorts as a response. "That's true, but at least I didn't get out by a _five-year-old_."

Since Aomine was too busy cackling, a kid who could be Kuroko's successor in the art of misdirection lobbed a ball towards Aomine knee.

"Shut up! He was in my blind spot!"

"That is such a lame excuse," Kagami taunts.

After the dodgeball tournament, Kagami dragged Aomine over to another station. This station has a balance beam and is surrounded by foam blocks. The objective of the game is to knock the other challenger down while using a foam stick about the size of a body pillow. There are two rounds in total until the next couple in line can play.

The referee begins her countdown.

Aomine takes a deep breath, wields his weapon, and lowly says, "Hello. My name is Aomine Daiki. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

"Oh my God," Kagami gapes, "You did not just quote Princess Bri-"

Aomine swiftly assaults him as he howls, "THIS. IS. SPARTA!"

"Why are you quoting iconic movie quotes?!" Kagami yells.

His toes clench on the balance beam as he braces himself for impact. Their foam spears collide; their faces are mere inches apart.

"Tch, I hoped that would make you go down," Aomine says much to his chagrin.

"I'm not that easy to surrender," Kagami remarks.

Aomine's smile is broad and wide, and Kagami wonders if he is mirroring him, too.

Aomine grunts as he pushes, but Kagami does not budge.

"Give up," he whispers.

Kagami narrows his eyes. "Never," is his answer.

Aomine nods. That is what he would expect from his soul mate, the man who refuses to bow down. It's at his very core to never back down.

He grins maniacally. "So be it," he says with finality.

He takes one hop back, leaving Kagami in a state of confusion. With all the manpower he can muster, he swings the prop with all his might and smacks Kagami's side with gusto. The momentum of the force shocks the redhead, and because it was so great, Kagami loses his footing and ungracefully tumbles down. He has been vanquished.

Aomine laughs in triumph. "Ha!"

Kagami struggles to swim his way back to the balance beam, but he keeps sinking deeper and deeper into the sea of foam blocks. Containing his sniggers is virtually impossible for Aomine now.

He lowers his stick and teases, "Need some help?"

Kagami slaps it out of the way and growls, "I don't need your help, jerk!"

Aomine's response is to pull down one eyelid and stick his tongue out, which fuels Kagami's anger even more. He will surely get his revenge in the second round but decides to give Aomine a taste of his own medicine. As he manages to get a grip on the beam, he also snatches one of Aomine's ankles and takes Aomine down with him.

He is beauty and he is grace, but he is definitely no Mr. United States.

* * *

><p>Overall, the date was a total success despite its disaster at the beginning. Once their two hours were over, Aomine and Kagami left the trampoline park with sores and satisfied smiles. They returned back to Kagami's house in one piece.<p>

They enter inside his apartment, and Aomine collapses on the sofa. He hears ice softly clinking against glass.

"Water?" Kagami offers.

His thanks are gargled as he swallows the iced water in less than three gulps.

Then he hears the sweet sound of a ball pounding on the hardwood floor. "Ready to go?" he hears.

"What for?" he asks even though he knows what Kagami is implying.

"The date hasn't ended yet. I still want to play basketball with you."

There is an itch Kagami can't scratch throughout the day, and he is newly coming into terms of what he wants. Maybe he didn't want this date to end. Maybe he didn't want Aomine to leave just yet, or maybe, just maybe, playing basketball with Aomine is always the best.

He knows this is a selfish request. They've been frolicking around trampolines all day. They even loitered around the slam dunk section for more than a quarter of their time. Aomine is probably tired.

On second thought, he should revoke this request, and he opens his mouth to do so until Aomine stands up and asks, "Hey, do you mind if I borrow some shorts?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I would like to thank ****Sapphyre Lily (kudos to you!), Fantita (hurray for group hugs), Guest (thanks *smiles), a.y (here you go!), The Rayne Alchemist (Thank you. I'm better now. Just have to fight those darn allergies), Crybaby Terry (I am squealing *squeals), Setelah Sekolah (date's not over yet!), Nanniih (;w; thank you... so considerate *gives you sparkles and aokaga happiness), and Absalon95 (they are, aren't they?) for the wonderful reviews. Makes me wonder if you guys even read my small notes xD**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: ****After battling the flu, pneumonia (yes, in that order), writer's block, and finals, I have finally risen from the ashes to send you this last chapter of Love Connection. Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine myself finishing a fic this long, and yet here I am. Thank you so much for your support, and I hope you will continue to support me afterwards (once I can finalize my thoughts on my new fic). I would love to hear any critique or whatever from you guys so that I can continue to improve. Once again, thank you!**

**Also HAPPY (belated) AOKAGA DAY**

* * *

><p>Kagami has many versatile qualities.<p>

He can slam dunk a ball with his eyes closed and chow down twenty cheeseburgers in one sitting without breaking a sweat. Cooking is like second nature to him, and surfing the waves is a piece of cake.

Kagami is a flexible man, but choosing a present for somebody, especially when that certain somebody is a man named Aomine Daiki, is a hellish experience, which is why this is probably the most stress-inducing activity he has the misfortune to ever do.

And like many tribulations, it all began with a question.

"Kuroko, remember that time you asked me about what I was going to give Aomine for Christmas?"

Sitting across from him is Kuroko taking one huge slurp of his congratulatory milkshake. Once he is satisfied, he sets the cup down.

"Yes, I remember," he says.

Kagami knows he has a death wish when he admits, "I lied. I still don't know what to get."

He tightens up his muscles and waits for his shadow's response. He visibly flinches when Kuroko picks up his drink again, but there is still no scolding. Instead, Kuroko gives him radio silence.

Kagami makes a gulping sound. The silence is unnerving.

Then the baby blue-haired male makes his move; his actions all happen in a flash. A bulletproof vest could not even protect Kagami from Kuroko's wrath, and this is evident when he feels bony knuckles instantly stabbing his sides. They are sharp, almost as sharp as one of his kitchen knives. Those precise knuckles grind their way to his ribs, and the redhead gives out a loud squawk and immediately touches the area of the infliction.

His friend's hands are no longer on him, but Kuroko did enough damage.

As if he just didn't jab him thirty seconds ago, Kuroko resumes sipping his vanilla drink.

"Why didn't you?" he asks.

His tone of voice does not seem menacing, but Kagami can tell that he is incensed. His fingers are itching to get their hands on a globular object as a distraction from this mess, but a basketball doesn't magically appear in his hands.

"Well, I don't know what to give him." He scratches the back of his neck and complains, "What do you give a guy who practically has everything he wanted?"

The face Kuroko gives him can only be defined as a bitchface. Kagami cringes at the sight.

"Did you ask Aomine-kun?"

Kagami heaves a great sigh and says, "That's the problem. I did ask him."

He crumples up a napkin and expertly shoots it at the nearest wastebasket.

"And you know what that idiot told me?" he huffs.

Kagami pulls back the longer strands of his bangs to slightly alter his appearance. He furrows his brows and imitates his meathead of a soul mate by wearing his signature scowl. If he could, he would have spray-painted his brilliant scarlet hair to a classic royal blue or wore blue eye contacts as a nice touch.

He slouches against his seat and repeats Aomine's cocksure words from two days ago with the same, exact level of haughtiness in his drawl.

"You don't have to get me anything," he says dismissively. His scowl then switches into a flirty smirk. "You being here is all I want."

Kagami instantly breaks out of character and massages his face back to its usual self. He is not going to do that again anytime soon.

Kuroko comments, "I don't see the problem here. That sounds very smooth coming from Aomine." He takes a quick swig of his addiction to ponder over what he just said. "… But you should check if he was taking any medication when he said that."

"I'm being serious here, Kuroko," Kagami grits out. "The problem is that I have no clue on what to give him." He pounds his fist upon the tabletop. "And when I managed to pester him for an actual answer, that butthole told me to just get him a gift card!"

He loves Aomine. He really does, but boy, does that man know how to push his buttons.

"Everybody knows you won't get a concrete answer about what Aomine-kun wants for a gift unless you ask him a month in advance," Kuroko informs him.

"Great," Kagami groans in misery, "Now you tell me."

"Do not worry, Kagami-kun. I'm sure Aomine-kun will be happy with whatever you give him. After all, he is a simpleton like you."

"…"

"…"

"… You just insulted me, didn't you?"

This is Kuroko's cue to have some kind of snarky comeback, but Kagami makes a dismissive sigh and says, "I know he'll like whatever I get him. But…" he hesitates before saying, "… I wanted to get him something more meaningful than that…"

Like his ring from Tatsuya, he wants this gift to be a reminder of their bond. He hopes that with this gift, it can convey his complex feelings for Aomine to him. The latter already expressed his feelings for him, and the validity of those feelings strengthened ever since he gave him those basketball shoes. He wants Aomine to feel the same happiness he felt when he received his gift, and it's his goal to have those sapphire eyes sparkle with delight.

Sure, the red string that ties them together, all in all, is romantic by itself, but he doesn't want whatever he has with Aomine to be about one skimpy string. This is not about destiny or fate or whatever flowery word he can come up with at the moment. The string does not define them, and they do not define the string.

This is about staying by each other's side when the going gets tough. This is about learning and growing up together as individuals, maturing into a better person by each passing day.

This is about them and for them alone.

"Then don't think about what he wants."

Kagami tilts his head, confused by his friend's ambiguous words.

Kuroko simply smiles and rephrases, "Think about what he needs."

* * *

><p>After their one-on-one match on the same night of their date, the two returned back to Kagami's apartment for a cold, refreshing shower. Kagami steps into the bathroom last while Aomine steps out to dry his cropped hair with a spare towel. The topless male makes himself at home and slumps into a sofa.<p>

His idle thoughts are interrupted by the sound of rumbling water, and right from where he is sitting, Kagami is showering a few meters away. This entire scenario could be written straight from a porno, but Aomine bats away the thought of joining his beloved because at this very moment, his phone begins ringing. His screen flashes his mother's name.

Ten minutes later Kagami emerges from his bathroom, leaving a trail of steam behind him. Traces of white smoke cling to his skin, but it will disappear in no time as his body regulates itself back to normal temperature. He stumbles upon Aomine standing at the middle of the living room.

He appears to be talking on the phone with an unknown stranger, so Kagami takes this opportunity as a chance to heatedly rove his eyes over Aomine's naked skin and focuses on every line, every mole, and every imperfection he can grasp. The navy-haired male seems more handsome this way, relaxed and oozing pheromones at a deathly rate of five doses per second. It makes his heart clench.

He might as well pluck out the organ beating within his chest.

His mind is about to wander into its own trip to the gutter, but he starts to pay attention when he catches small snippets of Aomine's conversation.

His boyfriend sounds more pensive than usual. "… Yes… How did you know?"

Then Kagami hears a silent curse. "Yes, yes… I understand."

Aomine stays silent for a couple of moments until he explosively responds with, "You can't last minute me like this!"

Then he gasps as he realizes his mistake. In a speedy recovery, he retracts the phone away from his ear. As if the device would detonate any second, without a moment to spare, Aomine covers its speakers and looks away. Despite his valiant efforts, Kagami can still hear screeching at the other end. The woman's ferocity behind the phone makes him wince.

When the voice from the device slowly dies down to a more tolerable volume, Aomine brings the phone back to his ear.

"…Sorry…" he mutters under his breath.

More sounds of disagreement are extracted from him, but he manages to appease the caller and finally finishes the call.

"Yes," he miserably whines and ends the conversation with a click.

Kagami inches closer to comfort his pouting soul mate and initiates a hug. He wraps his clothed arms around Aomine's neck with his hands locked behind his luscious locks. His nose nuzzles closer to his collarbone, and Aomine makes a slight chuckle when his crimson hair tickles him.

"You're more touchy-feely today," he throatily comments.

"You smell good," Kagami gruffly replies.

There is more to that statement, but he would rather die than confess how much he craves for the other's touch.

However, that does not stop him from pressing his tender lips against Aomine's jugular. Kagami does not go any further than touching the span of his pigmented neck with his lips because he is too drunk with love to suck an alluring patch of skin and leave a mark. Besides, there is no desperate need to mark his territory yet because his existence is already tattooed into Aomine's life.

He makes a contented sound and breathes, "Who was that?"

Aomine peevishly answers, "My mom."

"Why did she call us?"

"Satsuki told her that we were going on our first date today, so she's mad that I didn't tell her."

"Figures," Kagami says, amused.

However, Aomine doesn't crack a smile and instead continues to wear his broody expression. The crimson-haired male is not always in tune with his soul mate's emotions, but he can still make a hunch. He leads them to the plush sofa and waits until Aomine sits down along with him. He caresses his strong jawline with his knuckles and whispers solemnly, "What else did your mother say?"

"She invited us to come to dinner." Then Aomine puckers his face as if he just downed a glass of unsweetened lemon juice.

"That, by any means, does not sound like an invitation," Kagami sniggers.

Disgruntled, Aomine adds, "She also wants you to sleep over tonight."

"I'll pack lightly," he responds.

Aomine furrows his brows and massages his temples, still upset over these turn of events. "I'm not even mentally ready for this."

Undeterred by his boyfriend's negativity, Kagami stands up with his hands on his hips and announces, "I'll start packing."

Aomine groans.

Kagami sneaks a glance over his shoulder and finds Aomine in a stooped position. Exasperated, he rolls his eyes and fondly ruffles his damp hair.

"Don't worry," he promises reassuringly, "I'll behave."

There is no response.

He bends over and leaves a chaste peck at the crown of his head.

"Act least act overjoyed that I'm spending time with you," he jokingly says.

"I question why I love you sometimes," he adds and glides back to his room because he should change into something more decent in front of Aomine's parents.

While this is going on, Aomine's world is imploding into a million bits.

The man with darker skin is comically stock-still, staring at the blank, white wall as if its appearance would contain the answers to his nonsensical universe. Like a broken record, his mind continues to replay Kagami's closing sentence and nitpicks them word by word.

_I question why I love you sometimes._

… _I love you sometimes…_

… _I love you…_

That's it, he thinks, there truly is a God somewhere.

This is the sweetest progress he could ever imagine and would probably downright convert if he hears Kagami say "I love you" again in a different context because progress, no matter how big or small it is, is still progress. What Kagami uttered is a milestone.

He contemplates his life some more but is so smitten like a love-struck schoolgirl that he does not notice his boyfriend's return until a soft, blue object coils around his bare neck. Aomine blinks and automatically grasps the royal blue pashmina scarf in his hands. He slowly strokes the delicate material until his fingers reach the stringy tassels at the end.

"What's this?"

Kagami plops next to Aomine, lowers the duffel bag hanging from his shoulders and replies, "Your belated Christmas present."

Kagami's is aware that his listening skills are not the greatest, which may or may not have contributed to his sinking grades, but he can recall Momoi complaining about Aomine's bad habit of sleeping on the roofs and his absurd pride of never getting sick. Taking Kuroko's sensible advice into consideration, he decided that Aomine Daiki deserves a freaking scarf. Despite his cockiness, there may come a time when Aomine will be attacked by the influenza.

Kagami does not move, mind racing of the possible setbacks compiled into this one gift.

For one, Aomine might hate scarves.

Who knows, he thinks offhandedly, maybe Aomine has really sensitive skin and is prone to getting nasty rashes…

…

Did he just hand his soul mate a scarf that could potentially kill him? Did he even consider why Aomine rarely wears a scarf? Forget how lame and utterly blasé it is, this scarf could be a potential choking hazard to-

His escalating thoughts brake to a screeching halt.

No, he tells himself, this gift is special. He spent countless hours researching which material and what type of scarf would be worthy enough to be adorned around his soul mate's neck. He dragged an annoyed Kuroko from one store to next, unraveling layers and layers of scarves in front of the other until his friend swore off scarves forever. His hands have studied and touched cashmere, cotton, silk, and wool. His fingers are so intimate with the textures that if he was blindfolded, he wouldn't be surprised if he could identify which is which if he was within a foot of it.

This very gift, the one he went through painstaking means to obtain it, is special because Aomine, the one who is worth going through all of that, is special.

A faint whisper disturbs the saturated silence.

"… anks…"

Kagami whips his head back to openly stare at Aomine, who is forcibly making piddling motions with his hands.

Still, he did not catch what he just said, so he dumbly slips out, "Huh?"

He did not know that it is humanly possible for his soul mate to turn into a darker shade of red, and though the man is renowned for being an agile player, his current actions are not justifying that claim. He attempts unfurling the scarf from his cervical area, but he fumbles with his movements, making it seem as if the whole process is a struggle.

"Do you… like it?" Kagami asks warily.

Aomine's momentary scuffle with his gift is put on hold.

"Of course I like it. I love it."

Miraculously, he manages to untangle the scarf and frees his neck from its clutches, but even through all that, the slight tinge on his cheeks still remains.

Then, while his beloved is trying to will down the fluttering in his chest, he covers Kagami's eyes with the blue cloth, purposefully obstructing his sight. He deftly ties the ends of the scarf into a tight, neat bow at the back of Kagami's head without delay, and at the pace of a snail, he slowly pulls his hand back, allowing his touch to linger a second further.

The change in the redhead's breathing does not go unnoticed.

Aomine cups the side of his soul mate's immaculate face, brings it closer to him, and swipes his thumb against those voluptuous lips for good measure. He can't help but smirk when he reads the uncertainty written into Kagami's misshapen eyebrows.

"Aomine?" he hears Kagami call out.

As usual, his heart is ready to burst.

"Thank you," he softly breathes into Kagami's ear, "Thank you for everything… Taiga."

* * *

><p>"I hate you."<p>

"I love you, too."

"You are the worst."

In approximately 200 steps from now, the bumbling duo will approach the front doorstep of the Aomine residence, so distance is obviously not the reason why their arrival is later than the expected time.

"I said I was sorry. Besides, you got payback, didn't you?"

Aomine's pettiness only serves to fan the flames of Kagami's anger.

"Apologizing is not going to make this," he gripes curtly and yanks his collar to exhibit a conspicuous, polka-dotted band aid covering a good portion of his lower neck, "Disappear."

Aomine radiates his signature smirk, which vexes him even more, so he spitefully pokes where he, too, left a sizeable hickey on his boyfriend's neck. Kagami smugly grins when he sees his idiot squawk like a cockatoo, but even though the short revenge felt good, it still does not resolve his dilemma.

"It's unfair," he grumbles and straightens up his collar to conceal the source of his embarrassment, "At least you have a scarf to hide it. Your parents are going to have the wrong idea and think that I'm some horny teenager."

"Just tell them that you were cooking with oil and a bit splattered on your neck."

"Only you would believe a lame excuse like that," he says dryly.

Aomine looks personally offended and argues, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're an idiot," he drawls back.

Aomine swerves around, facing Kagami head-on.

"You're right," he agrees, "I am an idiot."

The self-proclaimed idiot makes his first bold move and intertwines his fingers with Kagami's, smiling even wider when he tugs him closer.

"After all," he says in a hushed voice as if he was revealing a heavily guarded secret rather than a shard of his own feelings, "I'm an idiot for falling in love with you."

Kagami is at a loss for words, too charmed by his smooth lines. They struck a chord, and the memories of the last time Aomine professed his love to him came over him like a tidal wave.

However, the moment is ruined when somebody makes an awkward cough.

"Boys, I would love to stick around for the proposal, but I'm kind of starving over here so would it be too much to ask if you can finish up quickly?"

The power forwards reacted all at once, and Kagami turns his head to see the owner of that velvety voice.

He blinks once.

Then he blinks twice.

He blinks three more times for good measure and rubs his eyes just to be sure, but Aomine's identical twin is still there.

Once he figures that the doppelganger standing before him is indeed Aomine's father and not a trick or ruse, he stays where he is and gapes. His blubbering boyfriend obviously inherited his looks from his father. Upon a closer inspection, there are a few minor differences he can differentiate such as the way his father's muscles are not as toned, not as defined as his son's. There are also crow's feet etched at the corners of his eyes, adding a mature side to his youthful face. The man now wears a bemused expression and moves his head in a come-hither motion.

Kagami tersely nods, and with his hand on one shoulder, he shakes his boyfriend out of his mortification and steers the poor boy to the right direction. Once they reach the entryway, Kagami toes off his shoes and follows Aomine's example by placing them outside.

"I'm home!" Aomine announces.

A curvaceous woman with waist-length ebony hair tied up into a ponytail pops out of nowhere, and with a dazzling smile intact, she steps closer to greet her guest of honor. Her husband appears, too, with a gentle smile matching hers. Kagami, with his heart pounding at an erratic speed, quickly bows down. A meeting of this magnitude puts him in a tizzy, but he swallows down this unfounded nausea and wills himself to calm down.

He takes a deep breath before he says, "My name is Kagami Taiga. It is nice to finally meet you. Thank you for having me over tonight!"

Aomine cannot stop the trembling, but he can suppress his guffaws by stuffing his face into the scarf.

A brief moment passes over, and the woman laughs aloud instead, filling the room with her ineffable, joyous sound. Kagami doesn't know why, but her laughter bulldozes his anxiousness right away. His lips curve into smile, infected by her indescribable merriment.

"No need for such stuffy formalities," says the woman and makes a point of this by swatting the air. "You can call us by our names. My name is Youko, and this handsome man right here is my husband, Akihito."

She shamelessly wraps her arms around her spouse's waist with hooded eyes and asks him the million-dollar question of the day.

"So, what do you feel about eating hot pot tonight?"

* * *

><p>Aomine is pretty confident that his mother wouldn't bat an eye if she sees the pronounced, glaring red mark on his neck. She would most likely shrug her shoulders at the sight and would continue on with her life, so he's not that concerned if on the off chance Kagami accidentally reveals his love bite. After all, his parents practically display their affections to each other daily. Actually, now that Aomine gives it a second thought, they would probably encourage it as long as it is consensual.<p>

However, his own mark is a different case.

"Daiki, remove that scarf. You are going to dirty it."

Aomine possessively tightens his grip on the fabric around his neck. He has to think fast.

"But I like this," he whines pathetically, "Taiga gave it to me."

Once he makes that remark, all attention is directed towards his soul mate, whose eyes are currently screaming bloody murder in his general vicinity. Dealing with Kagami's wrath is preferable in his honest opinion because he wants to preserve what is rightfully his. The moment Kagami's scorching lips seared the surface of his skin is the moment he decided to protect this memory at all costs.

His neck throbs as he remembers the stinging pain, the erotic pleasure that came afterwards. His ears remember Kagami's keening moans, the way his pants blended with his as he teasingly licks a stripe across his neck. After Kagami's initial outrage of finding the fresh bite, his eyes remember watching the very same man looking at himself in front of the mirror, subtly caressing the bruise with a tenderness Aomine rarely sees, and the beautiful sight invokes some kind of carnal hunger within him.

Aomine closes his eyes and remembers everything- the embarrassment, the lust, the passion, and most importantly, the delight emanating from Kagami's expressions.

As he dwells over this fond memory, his concentration is broken when his mother calls his name again for the nth time. Her stern voice breaks the spell, and Aomine is left dazed and confused.

"W-what?" he stutters.

His mother sighs and shoots Kagami a witting side-glance.

"See what I have to deal with here?"

Kagami smiles knowingly despite not knowing Aomine for a full year.

His mother refocuses her black, shrewd eyes back on her son.

Then, in her proudest voice, she says, "There is a box of flavored condoms I left beneath your bathroom sink just in case. You're welcome."

Kagami widens his eyes; Aomine inwardly groans.

Aomine's father simply nods to show his support and adds another mouthful of food in his mouth.

Aomine often forgets that his mother does not have a filter about bringing up these subjects during dinner, and proof of this is when she reminds him, "Remember to get yourself tested before you do any further sexual activities, Daiki."

Well, with her yapping on and about in front of his boyfriend, there is a 100 percent chance he won't be able to do anything.

His mother probably interpreted his stunned silence as permission to interact with Kagami.

She tells him, "I recommend using the grape-flavored one. Surprisingly, it tastes pretty okay."

Kagami's withering look is his answer.

His expression has not been overlooked, which is why his mother adds in a cheery tone, "Trust me," and thumps against her chest audaciously. "It doesn't taste like that nasty grape-flavored medicine you see in the stores, but I understand if you're not completely sold to the idea."

Aomine is pretty sure he is not sold to the _whole_ idea in general.

Then the woman shrugs, "You can always stick to strawberry."

Aomine rashly pushes his chair backwards and winces when the bottom screeches against the floor. He wishes he could die of humiliation today. He doesn't know if he can recover from this.

"Mom," he grits his teeth, "I don't need the box."

This is it, he thinks. This is how his relationship will end.

The clincher of these shenanigans, though, is when his mother reassures him with, "Don't worry. Not _all_ of the condoms are for you."

The horrific part of this conversation is when she ends it with a wink, and at this point, Aomine is not sure if this entire fiasco was intentional or not.

* * *

><p>Dinner has ended, and Aomine really wants to call it a day.<p>

"Just dump your bag anywhere you like," he gruffly instructs.

Kagami scans the room for an appropriate spot to lay his belongings and silently notes how much tidier it is compared to the last time he visited. He muses over how long it has been since he stepped foot into this room. Lined in an orderly fashion on the walls are photos, new and old. They all seem to follow a timeline, and he wonders if he could surmise Aomine's life story from these pictures.

He echoes out his next thoughts. "How are your parents so chill with me sleeping here?"

Aomine leans back against the wall with folded arms and says, "They know I won't touch you with them under this roof."

"You wouldn't?"

Aomine wrinkles his nose as a response to the question. "Of course I won't," he shudders, "From what you've seen from them, I'll only be begging for a death wish if I did."

Kagami laughs.

"If you're uncomfortable, though," Aomine offers while nervously tapping his foot, "I can lay out a futon, or better yet, I can sleep on the couch."

"As if I would allow that," is Kagami's reply.

While he carefully plucks off the buttons of his button-down shirt, he quietly says, "I had fun back there. It was a bit awkward, but… it has been a while since I had a dinner that lively."

Aomine, who was enjoying the show, patters across the room until he is in front of Kagami. He snorts as he sees the cute polka-dotted band aid the idiot slapped on earlier and slides a finger around the lines. Kagami shivers.

"Your parents," he continues with a strained voice, "They're a lovely couple. I can see why you're so spoiled."

"I'm not spoiled," Aomine harrumphs.

He then pushes Kagami to his queen bed and shortly joins him.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" Kagami asks.

"You already did," Aomine answers cheekily.

Kagami gives him a stabbing poke, but he doesn't regret a single word.

"I'm being serious here, Ahomine."

The blue-haired male playfully twirls the red string with his fingers, but upon Kagami's insistence, he raises his eyes and says, "Go ahead. I'm all ears."

Kagami takes a deep breath, his mind formulating the best method to ask about this overlaying curiosity ever since he met Aomine's parents.

"Do your parents know… about your hardships during middle school?"

There is only silence, and Kagami doesn't miss the way Aomine visibly holds his breath or the way he shrinks away. It is like seeing the ghost of Aomine's past, and though he is typically afraid of ghosts, Kagami doesn't cower away in fear or scream out a blood-curdling scream. He can only feel pure sadness and pure heartache.

"You don't have to answer," he says hurriedly, "You don't have to-"

"No, they don't," Aomine whispers. "I didn't want them to know."

Within the realm of school, boredom was his middle name. Disinterest was a common adjective associated with him, and at that point, he didn't care because he was already labeled a monster, a freak of nature. He used to shirk off his duties during those years, but home was different. Home is where he would pretend to be the kid he used to be before basketball became boring, before he became the monster everyone envisioned him to be. It hurt to do so, but his parents were living in domestic bliss. Aomine doesn't want to ruin that image with his teenage angst. His parents don't deserve that from him. No family does.

Strong arms cloud his vision. He is being hugged.

"You can tell me more when you're ready," he hears.

"Thanks," he mumbles against his shirt.

Kagami clicks his tongue. "We both have a lot of talking to do in the future," he groans.

"Yeah," Aomine says in an exasperated sigh.

Once again, there is silence, but this silence is a much more comfortable than the last one with the two plainly staring into each other's eyes.

"I have a question for you."

Kagami mushes his face further into the mattress with a sheepish grin graced upon his beautiful face.

"Shoot. What's your question?"

Hopefully it doesn't involve with him bleeding his heart.

Aomine purposefully tugs off his scarf since they are now in a private setting. A devilish smirk crosses his face when Kagami subconsciously licks his lips.

"Want to make a bet?"

"About what?"

"Whose hickey is bigger?"

"Of course you would make a bet out of this," Kagami says as he rolls his eyes.

"Do you accept or not?"

"What do you take me for? You're on," he says as he gratefully accepts the challenge. "Now what are the terms?"

THE END

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I would like to thank ****Sapphyre Lily (dang it, I should have made them split), Guest #1 (I know right?!), Guest #2 (Kagami can try to be romantic, but we know who will win in that department *wink), Absalon95 (I'm glad you liked their date! You have no idea how much I stressed over the location. Thank you!), Guest #3 (Still deciding if I should write this god fic Au or this gomxkagami one where Kagami is a cupid. Who knows, I might change my mind and write an Alpha/Omega Au), Ritsu22 (So much lovey dovey, I got secondhand embarrassment), Fantita (YES TO ALL THE MOVIE QUOTES), Yukaianne (Welcome back into the fandom! Thank you so much for your input. I'm always afraid if I made these two dorks out of character or something.), and Guest #4 (*salutes* I will!) for the wonderful reviews that kept me going. And thank you everybody, for being part of this awesome fandom.**


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